What she's doin' now...

No, I am not singing a Garth Brooks song... as promised, I am giving an update on the cutest little girl in Katy, TX.  Miss Leighton is getting more and more active every day.  She is soooo close to rolling over from her back to her tummy.  She rolls her legs and tummy back and forth, but she can't quite get her head and shoulders over.  Exhibits A, B and C...

She's also started reaching for and grabbing the little guys that hang down from her activity mat.  She's done this for a while, but I think she actually knows that she can grab them now.  It's so neat to watch her learn new things!  She also really loves the television.  No - we don't sit her in front of the t.v. for hours on end, but she definitely notices it when it is on, and it's easy entertainment when you're in a pinch.  One of her favorite shows: American Idol...

This coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend.  It is kind of a special weekend for us because it was right before Memorial Day weekend last year when we found out we were pregnant :) So, this year we are heading to P.O.C. with a 3 1/2 month old!  We have a little 10 foot pool that we are going to set up on the front porch down there, and we are going to see how miss Leighton likes the water.  She is a big fan of her bath, so I'm guessing she will enjoy the pool too.  I promise I will do a better job of snapping photos and I will share them soon.  I hope everyone has a great (long) Memorial Day weekend!  Just because she's cute, I will leave you with a few photos of our big girl...

Love her  :)

A bit of randomness (and not a picture one)...

• Mother's Day - I mentioned a few posts ago that I would blog about my first Mother's Day.  However, I am very sad to report that I do not have a SINGLE picture from my first Mother's Day.  Not one.  I told Lyn after I realized this, and he suggested that we take one on Monday because no one would know the difference.  WRONG.  I know the difference, and I am super bummed.  Nonetheless, we had a very nice (albeit busy) day.  We were in Victoria that weekend for my cousin Matthew and Casie's wedding (Leighton's first wedding, btw).  On Sunday, we went to church, then went to visit my Mamie, then went to lunch with my parents at the O.G. (that's Olive Garden - a Sunday favorite in V-town), then made a stop by Lyn's grandma's house before we left town.  We had 16 x 24 prints of Leighton made for our moms, so naturally they loved them.  The only thing I wanted (and the best gift that I could ever get) was to spend time with my little girl.  As I mentioned,  we stopped by Mamie's house after church... which would have been the perfect photo op with four generations of mothers/daughters... so please close your eyes and picture my Mamie, my mom, Leighton and me all dressed in our Sunday best on my very first Mother's Day.  Pretty nice picture, huh?  Maybe next year.
• Weddings, weddings, weddings - On Saturday, May 7th, my cousin Matthew and his sweet fiancee, Casie got married (finally :)).  It was the perfect day for an outdoor wedding, and Casie looked amazing! We had a blast, and it was great to see all of my mom's side of the family.  (Naturally, no pictures).  The following weekend, I was a bridesmaid in my long-time friend and former college roomie, Kendra's, wedding to Capt. Clint Caughman.  Leighton hung out at the church with me and the girls on the big day, then my mom picked her up and brought her back with them for the wedding.  I bawled like a baby during the ceremony (and at the reception for that matter), but Kendra was a beautiful bride and it was a great wedding.  The reception was awesome, and the little one went home early with Granny and Pops while mom and dad stayed back and cut a rug.  (More to come on my random blog-related meeting at the reception).  Lastly, Lyn was the best man in his cousin Lucas' wedding last Saturday.  Lucas and Ryanne's wedding was so nice - they did most of the work themselves, and it was so personal and about them.  It was great!  So, we are done with weddings until late June, and we have two back to back in October.  If anyone else decides to get married this year, we are not going.  (Kidding, kind of).
• Back to work - After 13 weeks home with the little one... I went back to work on May 10th.  Needless to say, I was a little less than excited about going back (sorry Billie), but I did it.  Leighton goes to one of the Primrose Schools in Katy, and so far we have been very pleased.  I have been getting up at the crack of dawn to feed the little one, get ready for work, and get out the door early so I can pick her up earlier in the afternoon.  Since she's waking up in the 5 o'clock hour, I feed her and put her back to sleep for a little bit.  Lyn wakes her up around 7 (kind of sad, but the most adorable thing ever), and she's usually all smiles when she finally comes to and sees her daddy.  He gets her dressed and usually takes her to school at 7:30.  I typically leave work at 4 and haul bottom (I can't swear - I'm a mom now) across town to get her.  She is usually exhausted when we get home, so we play for a little bit then she takes a little nap around 5:30.  She's usually pretty tired by 7ish, so we bathe her around then and feed her/put her to bed between 7:30 and 8.  She has gotten to the point where she falls asleep pretty easily now... but I will hold her a little while longer than I used to in the evenings since I don't get to spend much time with her anymore.  It has been hard on me, but she has transitioned pretty well.  I'm sure I will get there too. 

That's the end of my ramblings for now.  Thanks for hanging in there!  I promise the next post will be more about Miss Leighton and I will even throw in a picture or two.  Happy Tuesday!

Three Months Old (a few weeks late)...

How can it be that our baby is a quarter of a year old already???  On May 7th, Miss Leighton was three months old.  We didn't go to the doctor for her three month birthday, so I'm not sure what her stats were.  However, her daddy and I did a little test at home to see how much she weighed and our conclusion was circa 12 1/2 pounds.  The three month mark was a big turning point for us as it became clear that she was no longer a newborn, but a growing baby starting to develop a little personality.  In her third month, Leighton responded so much more to familiar faces and smiles and talking.  She also started moving her arms and legs like crazy when she gets excited.  She still takes little cat naps throughout the day, but thankfully she continues to sleep well during the night.  Most nights, she sleeps from around 8:30 pm to 5ish am.  Every now and again, she stirs during the night, but we put her pacifier back in and she goes right back to sleep.

The morning is by far her best time of the day (and our very favorite time too).  She wakes up all smiles and is so happy and talkative to whomever greets her.  That is one of the things I miss the most now that I have gone back to work... but her daddy takes great care of her in the mornings and I know that he is enjoying that special time with Punky.  I'll blog more about our new "routine" soon because I know you all just want to see pictures.  Without further adieu, I present you our beautiful three month old...

Daddy was the photographer for our three month photo shoot, so were able to get some shots of her smiling and laughing at mommy being an idiot in the background.  Leighton (a.k.a. Princess, Punkin', Punky...), your daddy and I love you more than we could have ever imagined.  Your smile is priceless, and you bring us more joy than we can put into words.  We are truly blessed to be your parents, and we pray that you continue to be a happy and healthy baby girl.

Bad Blogger...

I haven't completely fallen off the wagon, but I went back to work :(  So, we are trying to get adjusted to our new routine, but I promise I will sit down and get caught up soon.  Keep a lookout for Leighton's 3 month post and my first Mother's Day (both obviously a little late).  Happy Tuesday!

A weekend of firsts...

This past weekend was the 1st anniversary of the 1st annual Black Gold fishing tournament in POC - hosted by Beau BLACKard and our very own Lyn GOLDman.  So, we packed up the fam again and headed to the bay.  Side note - this weekend was the second of six consecutive weekends that we will be traveling, so miss Leighton should be a pro after the month of May.  We left town Thursday afternoon and made it to POC without any vehicle issues, so that was a plus.  On Friday, we took Leighton on her very first boat ride on Grandpa's 35' Bertram.  She loved it!  By "loved it" I mean she slept the entire time, but I would definitely call it a successful trip.  I think the sound of the engines lulled her right to sleep.  Here is my favorite picture from this weekend - it is one I took of Leighton sleeping in the wrap while we were on the boat...

And here is one of our little family after we made it back to the dock...

Later that afternoon I left Leighton with my mom, who was also in POC, while I went to eat dinner and partake in some of the tournament festivities.  When I got back to the house, Leighton was sleeping so peacefully, and my mom offered to keep her overnight so I could get some rest (we didn't sleep well the night before).  I had a bottle in the fridge and a granny who was really excited about snuggling with the little one, so there was no reason not to take her up on it.  After much debate, I finally decided to do it.  After all, I was only 11 blocks away and I knew my mom would call me if she really needed me.  That night she slept until 4:30 and took the bottle so well for my mom when she woke up.  My Mamie was up by the time she finished eating so they talked a little bit and Leighton went right back to sleep.  After a glass of wine, I slept like a champ too and I got up extra early to make sure I was there when Leighton woke up.  I was very proud of myself for leaving her and very thankful to Leighton and my mom for doing their part.  Here are a few more pictures of miss Leighton on Saturday morning...

Saturday afternoon we went to the front beach with Casie, Jenny, Evan, Clara and Camden.  Once again, Leighton slept on my chest while mom enjoyed the company and soaked up a few rays.  Not to worry - I had her completely covered with her new bonnet from Grandma and a big blanket.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while we were there... we had a little too much going on.  On Sunday, we went over to the Flessners' to celebrate Jeremy's birthday, and my parents came to visit before we left town.  So, little missy had another fun weekend in POC, and we can't wait for her to enjoy it more and more as she gets bigger.

On tap for next weekend: Victoria for Matthew and Casie's wedding.  Yay!!!

The Morning After...

I felt so bad about our lack of pictures from Leighton's first Easter, so I snapped some shots of her with all of her Easter goodies Monday morning.  Thanks to all of the Easter bunnies out there that love our little girl so much!