Two Weekend Update

We have had a great time with family and friends these past two weekends, such a great start to the summer.

Memorial Day Weekend – My family came to visit for Memorial Day. My parents and Mimi came Thursday night, and my brothers came on Friday. It was a packed weekend (as always when my mom comes and she and I decide to start a project). We started with a big trip to the grocery store to feed all the boys all weekend long. Then we went to the nursery to pick out plants, I’m finally starting to landscape the yard. It’s taken me a long time to formulate a landscaping plan in my mind for the yard. I’m not quite there yet since I know nothing about plants, but I have started some pots on the front porch and back patio. Chris took my dad and brothers to play golf on Saturday. They did some sort of switching partners game to equalize the talent, and Chris won. (They may have let him win.) Chris also got a grill. It’s really nice and cooks great burgers. On Sunday my cousin Kelly and her boyfriend Brian joined us for a cookout. On Monday my mom and I began taking down the border in the kitchen. The glue is making it really difficult, and to be honest I haven’t made any progress since my mom left, but I’ve promised Chris that I will eventually make the kitchen presentable again.

I had to go back to work on Tuesday. I started crying Monday night just thinking about leaving my sweet Piper. Tuesday was hard, but my kids at school were really sweet. Each day got a little easier. Chris’ mom, Clara, has been here all week watching Piper. I’d be late for school everyday if I also had to get Piper in the car in the mornings. Piper has been good for Clara, willingly drinking her bottle, even though the A/C has been out in the downstairs. It came back on for a day and is out again. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow. To make going back to work easier, our sweet friends James and Abby brought us dinner on Wednesday. Abby brought an amazing spread for building salads, it was gourmet!!! Also Piper got to have her first play date with their twin girls – Tilly and Ellie. Their twins were born last summer and having watched them grow from preemies it is amazing to see how far they’ve come and how well they’re doing. It shocks me that Piper will be as big as they are in a few short months. These girls have been so kind to pass on clothes to Piper. We put the girls together on the floor and after a minute of sizing each other up, the twins went straight for Piper’s hair. I think they’re jealous.

This weekend – On Saturday we went to Wichita Falls for my cousin Kelsey’s graduation. We missed the ceremony, but arrived just in time for food. It was great to be there and see Kelsey and the rest of the family. It was Piper’s first official trip in the car and she did just fine. We are planning on going back with Bash this summer so he can hang out with Garrett.

Today Piper got to meet a special friend – Miss Sally Claire Downing. There is a big story behind these two girls being special friends so let me explain. My best friend Rikki and I found out we were pregnant last August, both due in April. Rikki’s due date was April 6, mine April 11. We were so excited to be going through this stage of life together, but shocked that the due dates were so close because we didn’t even know the other was trying. Well my due date got moved up to the 6th because my baby was measuring big and ahead of schedule. Then Rikki’s husband got a job in Tulsa so she was scheduled to be induced on April 2. I started having contractions in the middle of the night on April 1, but didn’t go to the hospital until April 2 and Piper was born at 8:45am. Rikki had Sally later that day around dinner time. With the miracle of babies and how they can cause so many wrenches in the plan, it is amazing these girls were actually born on the same day, although Piper couldn’t share her birthday with a sweeter girl. The Downing family has moved to Tulsa so that’s why the girls just had their first meeting today, but they were so cute side by side. It was so fun for Rikki and I to catch up and sympathize with each other and what we’re experiencing with our girls. I am hoping Sally and Piper are life long friends like Rikki and I. They are going to have to get along considering how much Rikki and I like to get together to gab. And here are the pictures, what you've all been waiting for.

After her bath, with crazy curly hair, waiting for her grandparents plane to arrive.

Sleeping on my mom's shoulders, her hand is so cute grapsing the robe.

Hanging out with Uncle Craig.

The boys digging into the dip while my mom is busy cooking. This is pretty much what you saw all weekend long when you walked into the kitchen..

Chris' new grill!!!

Our patio with a new umbrella to provide some shade and ambience to go with my new plants. I have citronella on the table, bouganvilla and double wave petunias in hanging baskets, and in a pot by the window I have a double knockout rose bush.

In these pots we did vinca, sweet potato vine, and something tall in the back that I can't remember the name.

Piper's sunglasses

In the sling with mom, Piper has graduated to sitting up. This sling has been awesome, I totally love it and it almost always puts Piper to sleep.

What a precious smile! Piper has been smiling more and we love it. Of course she smiled at me when I got home after my first day back at school. She's such a good girl!

This is the sweet face I left Tuesday morning for work.

Her play date with Tilly and Ellie.

Napping on Great- Grandpa's belly at Kelsey's graduation party.

Rikki and I with our babies. She's holding Piper and I'm holding Sally.

Both of us trying to soothe the girls with their passies.

The birthday buddies!

Summer Movie Review

With the summer quickly approaching not only is the excitement of summer vacation building but the anticipation of the summer movie season is growing. I have recently seen a few movies so to keep you from wasting your money I thought I'd give you some insight on some of the movies I've seen. I've seen 4 movies recently so I'll just rank them from #4 to #1 (1 is best movie I've seen so far). I know it's early but it'll just be fun to do, so here we go.

#4) X-Men Origins/Wolverine - As an avid X-Men follower, I was somewhat disappointed with the action sequences and overall flow of this movie. The story of Wolverine is well known for any X-Men follower but this story really lacked the ferocity that comes with Wolverine. It was OK but I didn't walk out of that movie thinking that it was worth seeing again.

#3) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - The fact that I have this movie listed is definitely putting my "Man Card" status in jeopardy but this movie was a surprisingly entertaining movie. It was funny and Michael Douglas played a role that gives us some insight as to how he could have ended up with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

#2) Angels and Demons - Great movie! Although I never was able to see "The Davinci Code" I was still able to follow what was going on in this movie. It was action packed and exciting and will be an enjoyable movie experience.

#1) Star Trek - I am not a "Trekkie" but this movie is the epitome of "summer blockbuster." It had non-stop action and included a few laughs as the traditional members of the original "Star Trek" were introduced throughout the movie. I'm am considering experiencing this movie again because it was just that good.

Til next time, catch a movie!!

Sleep is NOT overrated - update

Piper has been enjoying her little bath tub so much that Chris wanted to see how she felt about the big bath with bubbles. She seemed amazed and just loved floating around. I guess she gets this from her big brother Bash who also loves the bath tub. I'm hoping this means Piper will enjoy swimming this summer, she's already got a cute suit to show off at the pool.

Our girl sure does love to make funny faces. Most of the time she looks at Chris or I with such big eyes taking it all in.

She's gotten more alert and loves to look around the house trying to understand where she lives.

But sometimes mommy and daddy see the sad face accompanied with a weak little cry. It sure does break your heart because it's so precious.

Here's our big girl in such a cute outfit. The flower is bigger than her face, but I do wish I had a bow for her head to go with this outfit.

I had a special first Mother's Day with my little lady and my sweet husband. I got a gift certificate for a massage and to get some flowers for the yard. Then Uncle Alwyne came to babysit while Chris and I enjoyed a nice dinner out.

Uncle Craig these pics are for you - here is Piper with a death grip on her lambie. I wonder what her lambie will look like in 20 years. I guess it all depends on if she drags it everywhere with her like I did with mine.

Now the reason for the title of this post - Piper is learning how good it feels to sleep for long chunks of time and she is rewarding her parents with 5 hours of sleep at night. A girl at church a few weeks ago told me it gets easier when you reach 6 weeks, well she was totally right. Piper is now 6 weeks old and for the past week we have had 5 hours of sleep at night from our girl. She usually falls asleep around 10 pm and will sleep until 3 am, have a quick snack, and then go back to sleep until 6:30ish. She is also sleeping all night in her car seat or bassinet and not in the bed with us. It is amazing how refreshed I feel after some solid sleep. Also I've been laying Piper down when she is sleepy and she's fallen asleep on her own a few times. I hoping that writing this doesn't jinx us tonight. Here are a few more pics of our sweet Piper sleeping.

We are so thankful that God gave us this little girl. She really is a good baby. Her nighttime fussiness/acid reflux problem has gotten so much better. I think it's because she's grown, but it may be the medicine doing it's job. Also she is spitting up less and the baby acne/eczema has gone down. The other day I was telling her about God and she was making the happy face, we are praying that she will know God as her Lord and Savior.

One Month Old

We can't believe our baby girl is already one month old! She has changed so much already, but we are loving every moment with her. I'm dreading having to go back to school and not be with her all day long. So here are few things we love about Piper that have taken place in the last month. She's earned a nick name - Wookie, which Chris gave her because of the sound she makes when she's mad crying, he says she sounds like an Ewok. Also her sad cry is precious when she pouts and sticks out that bottom lip. Her eyes are so expressive and she's beginning to make more eye contact rather than focusing on our foreheads. She's passed her birth weight - woohoo! She's at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and Dr. Smalley said we didn't have to come back for another wright check until 2 months. She's steadily growing on the 25% curve, but that's ok. She's really enjoying laying around and stretching out so she can explore what her legs and arms can do. We're working on a schedule, it needs to be adjusted slightly, but we have time before I have to go back to school for 2 weeks. Poor Piper has developed either a severe case of baby acne (inherited from her mother) or an allergic reaction rash all over her face to her Prevacid medicine for acid reflux. Poor baby! So don't zoom in on the pictures and embarass the poor girl. This is Piper in her Lamb chair right when she came home from the hospital.

This is her one month picture in the Lamb chair. Even though she's been slow on the weight gain, she really appears to have grown to Chris and I. We think she's longer and her thighs are filling out the leg holes in the diapers. We even had to go up to the next size.

Her first bath in the tub. She usually enjoys this time, unless her tummy hurts.

Also we had professional newborn pictures taken of Piper when she was 8 days old. They turned out amazing! But it's just more proof of how our little girl has changed. Here's the link to check them out - http://emilythurmondphotographyblog.com/piper-day-8-flower-mound-newborn-photographer/.