3 Months!

Here we are - 3 months / 13 weeks! Blair has done so many neat things this week! The first thing being able to reach out and grasp a toy (mentioned in a previous post), to talking - A LOT and loud, to laughing! Today we were outside while Travis played with Raleigh. Blair and I were sitting on a blanket in the grass watching them play fetch. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, Blair starts laughing! It was hysterical listening to her make the sound. Our neighbor who was across the street could even hear her! She is so silly - I can't wait to hear her laugh some more.

Ok, so the 13 week review. It was an interesting one. Blair started off the week not feeling well with an upset tummy = no sleep for her or me. On Wednesday we met the Bensons, Aunt Sharon, cousin Katie, and Loren for dinner to celebrate Uncle Mark's birthday. It was Blair's first time to meet Aunt Sharon and Katie, so it was lots of fun! We are excited to spend more time with them, Kelly and Uncle Windol this weekend. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long for dinner since it had gotten late and Blair was still operating at 75%, but it was great to see everyone!

Blair has been sleeping a little less during the nights. She went from being on a pretty consistent 8pm - 6am schedule, to going to bed later and getting up earlier. We are pretty sure that this, being a little fussy, and drooling a TON means she is teething (though she doesn't seem to be ready to chew on anything). Poor thing. She sleeps a lot during the day when Ligia is watching her. Growing girls need lots of sleep!

Here are Blair's 3 month stats:

• 
  
  Wears 6 month clothes now after a closet clean out over the weekend,


• 
  
  Holds her head up mostly by herself (unassisted),


• 
  
  Continues to worship Raleigh,


• 
  
  Drinks anywhere from 4 - 7 ounces in a sitting,


• 
  
  Has really found her voice... it is very matter of fact, while still being sweet,


• 
  
  Loves to look out the window into the backyard,


• 
  
  Now LAUGHS,


• 
  
  Still gets swaddled,


• 
  
  Weighs approx 14 pounds,


• 
  
  Rolled from her back to tummy (once!),


• 
  
  Can grab at a toy (successfully) after a few attempts and lots of concentration,


• 
  
  Loves to be rocked and listen to music,


• 
  
  Continues to melt my heart on a daily basis (and you'll see why below!).

Playing in her ExerSaucer (she really likes the Pandas!)

Thinking hard!

Mid-sentence

She loves Betty the Bunny

Lots of smiles with Daddy

Here are just a few (it was hard to only pick a few!) of the big 3 month photo shoot. She is too fun!

Happy 3 Months Birthday my Sweet Little Girl ♥

Eat: Snickers Cake

So, for Father's Day, my Mom made my Dad a Snickers cake. After reading through multiple recipes, she tweaked the recipe to make it her own. It. Is. Awesome.

Warning - this cake is not for you if you are on a diet, counting calories, or do not like Snickers.

Mom's Snickers Cake

1. 
   
   Prepare a Devil's Food cake in layers.


2. 
   
   Layer the cake with cream cheese frosting, liquid caramel syrup (like the kind for ice cream), and broken pieces of Snickers bars


3. 
   
   Frost the outside of the cake with chocolate fudge frosting. Pour more caramel syrup over the frosting and top with more Snickers pieces.


4. 
   
   Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Beyond yummy!

A Determined Little Girl ♥

Over the past two days, we have watched Blair carefully study toys & the little hanging mobile that goes on her vibrating seat. We've watched her swipe at the toys, in an attempt to grab them, but she'd inevitably miss them and we'd encourage her to try again.

Last night, while T and I were cooking dinner in the kitchen, we had her in the vibrating chair. We watched her make attempts at the hanging toys (sometimes narrowly missing them, and other times being far off) until finally - she did it and grabbed the toy she was staring at! So neat. Watching her patience and determination was inspiring. She did it again a few more times, each time receiving tons of cheers and praise. Sure, a small step in her development with the hand / eye coordination, but facinating to witness. I am so proud of that little girl! Being a witness to her new skill is so exciting!

On Wednesday (the day before this happened), she was laying on her back in our bed as T and I were getting ready for work. I had laid down next to her for a few minutes to talk to her, when she wiggled herself onto her tummy! It wasn't a full fledged, single movement roll - but she did get from her back to her tummy - and we'll take it! She didn't quite know what to do with her arm that was still tucked under her... but I am pretty sure she will figure it out!

I couldn't wait to share these fun changes with you all! Who knows what she'll learn to do in the next few days. Sometimes I think that time will pass so quickly that one day she'll just start speaking in full sentences, or driving. :) Hopefully we have a long way to go before any of that happens!

Tonight, Grandpa George and Grandma Roslyn are watching Blair for a few hours and Trav and I are going to go out and try sushi. Yes, I know, we might be the only people left on the planet to not like sushi (I've had a piece or two in the past), so we want to give it another real shot. Should be an interesting time - and if nothing else, it'll be fun to go on a date with T. ♥

Next weekend is the long holiday weekend (helloooo 3 day weekend!). We have made plans to go and visit the Cooks in Jacksonville and to introduce our little bug to her Great Grandparents and Great Aunt in Tyler. We are very excited and can't wait to take Blair on her first road trip. We need to get some "road trip" practice before our trip to New Orleans!

12 Weeks and Father's Day!

Ok, I am SO behind with this post. I have been wanting to write it and post it all week - but just never quite found the time.

So last week we took Blair for her two month check up (we are a week or so behind schedule at getting there). Dr. Kavin continues to be impressed with her development, sleep / eating patterns, and strength. Blair's two month stats are:

• 
  
  Weight: 13 lbs, 9oz (92%)



• 
  
  Height: 25.5" (110%!)



• 
  
  Head Circumference: 15.75" (65%)

Yowza... looks like we are going to have a tall girl on our hands!

This past week Blair has really enjoyed being up and seeing what's going on. She has the BEST smiles... it looks like she is laughing silently, because her gummy smile is so large and full of life. It is the best feeling to watch her eyes light up, get that big goofy grin and be happy to see you. Magic. We sure do have a lot to say and will coo with the best of them. Blair still takes a lot of power naps and pretty consistently sleeps about 10 hours. I definitely don't mind when she wakes up in the middle of the night... it's just more time to hold and love on her.

Last weekend we spent time celebrating Father's Day. For Travis' first Father's Day, we hung out all day as a family, running errands and playing. We gave T our gifts and grilled steaks. It was a pretty awesome day and the perfect way to spend it.

Blair is so lucky to have a Daddy like Trav. He is so patient, so kind, and so loving to her. She really has no idea how lucky she is. Travis absolutely adores her and although I don't think I have been replaced, Blair is giving me a run for my money. :) She is a special little girl that holds onto her Daddy's heart.

We also celebrated Father's Day having lunch with George, Roslyn and Loren and swimming at my parent's house. Blair got plenty of time with both of her grandfathers and it was a wonderful day!

Here are some cute pictures from Blair's 12th week!

Sleeping and holding Daddy's hand

Swimming!


Travis and Aunt Loren (I am pretty sure this is what Blair is going to look like in 20 years)



Wearing her Batman onesie

I sure do. :)

Houdini escapes again!

Sweet face

We love bathies!

Me and MY Daddy!

Happy Father''s Day to the best Dad in the whole world, who taught me to work hard, be honest and be humble - while appreciating my spirit.

New Obsession!

Pinterest. It is the female version of fantasy football.

Must get back to it.

Check it out!

Lefty or Righty?

Tonight, while giving Blair a bath, Travis wondered if perhaps Blair might be left handed, since she seemed to favor her left hand (when putting one in her mouth). What an interesting thought... it hadn't crossed my mind - but it's certainly a possibility! Conner is the only lefty in my family, and Travis doesn't believe anyone in his immediate family is left handed.

It will be interesting to observe B and her mannerisms and see which hand she favors as she improves her motor skills. Here is a fun fact that Travis will like; just a couple of famous "lefty" musicians - Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney.

I guess we will have to see. What do you think?

11 Weeks!

This week has been a week of discovery for Miss Blair. She has found her hands! She is mesmorized by them and if they aren't right in front of her face, she has them in her mouth. We have been practicing holding rattles and toys to improve her fine motor skills.

Houdini now manages to escape from the Swaddler on a nightly basis. Not sure what our next course of action is. It is puzzling that she manages to wiggle her arms out of the velcroed blanket. The first of many head scratchers, I am sure.

One physical attribute that most people comment on are her big blue eyes. They have not yet changed, but we are pretty certain it will happen. With my eyes being so dark and Trav's being hazel, I would be shocked if they stayed blue. Travis' dad and sister, and my paternal grandmother all have / had blue eyes. Everyone seems to think they will stay blue. We shall see... I think we should have a more definitive verdict once she is about 6 months old.

Well, it took nearly 11 weeks for this to happen, but I have failed to take a picture of Blair every day. It was easy at first... now it's like between work, dinner, bath time, play time, etc - I forget to grab the camera to take a picture. But that's ok, I have a ridiculous amount and I think I make up for it once I am taking her picture (I take anywhere from 2 - 30 at a given time). Each "month" cd that I give the grandparents has about 500 pictures on them. Yes, I am a little obsessed.

This past week, I worked late a couple of days so I definitely felt some of those guilty working parent feelings. It made me most sad when I looked over at the monitor and saw her sweet sleeping face and I felt like I had barely seen her that evening! Luckily, my working late is very minimal and simply based on my work load and deadlines. It makes me VERY grateful to only have to work part time now. Getting out at 2:30pm every day is awesome. Hands down.

Travis and I are in the market for a new vehicle. The lease on our car runs out in a few weeks, so we are actively searching for Trav's next vehicle, which will be a truck. He has waited a long time for a truck... so it is time. Will keep you posted on what we end up with. Hello $5 / gallon gas. Looks like we meet again.

After church today, we took Blair to see Uncle Mark, Aunt Sara and the girls. Blair absolutely LOVED Peyton and Reagan. Loved them. I have never seen her smile at someone so much. She was thrilled to have little people looking and playing with her. Reagan and Peyton were so sweet with her... they cannot wait until she is a little older and can do some real playing! :)

Here are some pics of our (almost) 11 week old girl!

Sitting in our bouncy chair waiting for me to finish getting ready

Smiles!

Photo shoot session 1

Happy girl

Nearly 11 weeks old

She is very patient with her Mommy and the camera

You can't get much cuter than this!

Tummy time

Having a talk with the Octopus

The start of an epic yawn

Three generations of Texan Wrights

Love.

♥ Blair ♥

Blair and Grandpa George

I recently saw something that I thought could not be sweeter, or more true...

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."

My baby is 10 weeks old!

10 weeks... here's what Miss B has been up to.

Her neck gets stronger every day (probably to help support those cheeks!) and she loves to watch what's going on over your shoulder. She is quite the chatty cathy these days! We have many conversations and I get to hear all about it. Her desire to communicate is fascinating!

This past week we think Blair's been going through a growth spurt. She is sleeping longer hours at night (11 hours last night!) and throwing back the bottle. It's not easy doing all of that growing... it can wear a girl out.

A new favorite talent is making bubbles and boy, are we good at it. Too funny.

She loves to smile. Loves it. The other day at lunch, she just smiled and laughed at a bottle on the table. I think they were sharing an inside joke because T and I did not get it! :)

Blair has now been in the pool for her second time. She's still timid, but we think she likes it. Swimming has us exhausted in about 5 - 10 minutes. 5 minutes of swimming, after about 45 mins of prep time. Bringing in her bags (yes, there is more than one), feeding her, putting on sunscreen, getting her into the suit (better to do this first, then put onthe sunscreen- lesson learned), finding her sun hat, moving the big umbrella over the steps of the pool, and actually getting in the pool is exhausting! Swimming is the relaxing part!

Take a look at this sweet face! *Sigh* I love her.

Love this face!

Playing on her discovery mat

Auntie Loren and B

My second time in the pool!

Sitting in her chair and liking it

Getting ready for bed (in the baby straight jacket)

Soooo ready for the weekend! :)

I am...

... a wife. A mother. A daughter. A sister. A friend.

... thankful for the good health of my family and friends. I am most thankful for the health of my little girl. I can't imagine a more difficult thing to go through, than having your child terribly sick. I think back to my volunteering days at MD Anderson and all of the sick children I used to play with in the playroom and silently thank God for Blair's good health. Never take your health for granted.

... proud and blessed to be married to my best friend that works hard to always put our family first and is the best husband and father to me and Blair. You can get through anything with a strong foundation and rock by your side.

... rested!!! Blair slept for 10 straight hours last night and didn't wake up until I woke her up to eat. Yes, I broke my cardinal rule of not waking a sleeping baby, but I missed her and figured she might be hungry (she was). She is sleeping SO much better after our revelation to swaddle her. We stopped swaddling her after she was about 3 weeks old. At that point, she was still sleeping in the infant sleeper in the pack & play and we didn't think she needed it. Then, when we started dealing with the crib, we realized that in order for her to get good, quality sleep without startling herself awake, she needed the "baby straight jacket." Sounds creepy, but it is a Godsend. Sometimes B manages to slip one or both of her arms out, so we have nicknamed her "Houdini."

... excited for our family trip to New Orleans in August. We are going with my family to celebrate Conner's 21st birthday. I still cannot believe how old he is! I still remember him as this sweet little toddler with these big eyes and duck lips, now he is all grown up. Hard to believe! We are looking forward to a long weekend celebrating and doing fun things with Blair. It will be our first vacation with B and we are so excited! Bring on the Pat O hurricanes, shopping, biegnets, fabulous food and family time.

... still hormonal. Not that bad kind, the weepy kind! I still tear up when I look at Blair and think about how much I love her. She probably thinks her Mommy is a basketcase, but I cannot help myself. I have never once felt overwhelmed with having her, or felt out of control or sad, everything has completely fallen into place and we are just so thrilled to have her. Queue the happy tears.

... surprised by something I never saw coming. I've had people ask me, "what's something that has happened that you were surprised about or didn't expect (having a baby)?" I would say I was pretty prepared for the changes and feelings a baby would bring, however I never realized how much I would love the ability to simply comfort my baby with just my voice, touch and love. It is an extremely powerful, special thing.

... inspired. I am inspired by the kindness and compassion of nurses. After spending some time in the hospital recently, you come to rely on the assistance of the nursing staff to comfort and help you. A little compassion goes a long way when you are in a new / different / scary place, and the nurses that I have had the good fortune to come across, have been so sweet and wonderful. I feel like their job is a very difficult one that can be thankless. Never take them for granted! I am blessed to have many friends that are nurses, so a BIG THANK YOU to all of the nurses out there for all of their hard work and compassion.

... living in the moment. As each new day seems to bring some new milestone for Blair, I try to relish in the moment and never look ahead. That is difficult to do with Zoey being 2 months ahead of Blair and doing new, "big girl" things, but I cannot bear to wish Blair were older or doing anything different than what she is doing. I try not to ever let myself say, "I can't wait until Blair can do that!" We just try to live in the moment with each precious second and breath she takes. She'll grow up whether I like it or not, so I am not rushing anything. :)

... a work in progress. I am far from perfect, but I want to be the very best wife to Travis and mother to Blair that I can be. As I make mistakes along the way, I only hope that I continue to learn from them and evolve as a person. I want to be a good role model to Blair (and our future children) and inspire her to be a happy, strong, and kind woman. I want her to have a taste for life and adventure, be a woman of faith and her have her heart filled with love. I want her to understand the importance of service and philanthropy, to love and respect her family and friends, and to appreciate the small things in life. These are just some things (on a very long list) that I hope for my daughter.

Thanks be to God for providing me with a life I have always dreamed of. I am rich beyond measure and humbly grateful.