10 months

Leah turned 10 months old just before Christmas on Dec. 22.


At 10 mos. old Leah:
is wearing some 3-6 mos clothes, and some 6-9 mos.
is using up the last of her size 2 diapers and is starting to wear size 3
nurses 5-6 times a day
eats 3 square meals (baby food) and snacks
sleeps 12ish hours straight at night (that's right, she's finally sleeping through the night!)
takes one good nap (2-3 hours) in the afternoon and a short cat nap (either while nursing, or riding in the car) in the morning
is still just crawling and cruising - she's trying to stand on her own but hasn't been able to do it quite yet
has 4 teeth
stays in the nursery during church activities now (I just go nurse her as needed) and she loves it!
has an infectious laugh
likes to clap her hands and wave to herself in the mirror
loves baby dolls and putting things in her mouth - see below

NO! I don't want to take pictures!!!!


Look Leah, do you see that Christmas ornament hanging right there in your reach?


mmmmmmmmm


all better!


Funny side note - I was about to put away the exersaucer and jumperoo. She never really cared for them and since she started crawling, I hadn't really put her in them. I'd never had a baby that wanted anything to do with those types of things once they could crawl. I happened to put her in the exersaucer today because I was trying to blow dry my hair and she kept crawling in the bathroom and getting into things. She got so excited as she jumped and made it bounce up and down. It was so funny! Then later I decided to put her in the jumperoo and see if she liked it. She LOVED it. She bounced all around in that thing! I think because she's so little, she was never able to move them much when she was younger. Now she's about the same size my other kids were when I started putting them in these things (4-5 mos) so she is really getting a kick out of it. I guess I won't be packing them away just yet! I've never had a 10 month old play in any stationary entertainer. Leah is proving everyday that she is unique and unlike any other baby I've ever had!

Post-Christmas Catch Up

First of all, I have to whine for a minute about my camera lens. I spent some time researching lenses and I picked out the one I wanted. A 50mm f/1.8. I'd be happy with it and it was in our price range. I ordered it and got it on Dec. 22. I was sooo happy to get it before Christmas! I immediately put it on my camera and started shooting. I very quickly realized that the autofocus was not working. So I pulled out the manual and discovered that the autofocus is not compatible with my camera body. Only manual focus. BAH! I never read that anywhere during my research (I obviously didn't research it thoroughly enough!). I was so bummed because I certainly don't want a lens that doesn't autofocus. So I had to return it. I did some more research, and found a couple other review sites that do mention this incompatibility. I have found another lens that I think I will be happy with, that DOES autofocus with my camera, that is a little more, but still within our price range. It's a 35mm f/1.8. I haven't ordered it yet though. It was so frustrating to be THAT CLOSE to having it... :(

Ok, now for a December recap:
I had to take Graham to the dr. on Dec. 4 because he was having trouble breathing clearly. Eric ended up going to the dr. the same day because he had a 103+ fever and felt awful. They were both sent for chest x-rays. Graham's came back clear, but he was put on breathing treatments for a few days. Eric's came back as pneumonia and he ended up missing 4 days of work because of it (which if you know Eric, you know what a big deal that is. He doesn't take sick days almost EVER).

Here is Graham during a breathing treatment. He was such a good patient!


On Dec. 11 Natalie had her first piano recital. She played "Jolly Old St. Nicholas".


Here is Erica's swollen lip - you can't tell very well in this pic, but she fell and busted it.


Leah and Graham playing


The last pic of Natalie's full smile


Before she lost her front tooth


She came to me on Dec. 23 morning and said that her tooth fell out in the middle of the night, and she put it under her pillow, but the tooth fairy didn't come. lol I told her she had to wait 24 hours. hahaha

Showing off her new smile a.k.a. acting goofy for the camera


probably the most unflattering picture of Graham - at least Leah is smiling!


Here is Graham this morning before church, wearing a jacket that was Eric's when he was a little boy


Leah riding on the rocking horse Graham got for Christmas from Nana

*notice one of her toes is sticking out of a hole in her footy pajamas...

The kids opening their Christmas Eve gifts of pjs


Leah loves the little babies on the Carter's tags


She liked to eat the wrapping paper best


Big Brother coming to clean it up before she chokes on it!

*notice how we ended up just cutting the foot off of those pajamas because her poor little toe kept getting caught in it! lol

haha, he forgot a piece!


The tree on Christmas Eve night. Eric spent over 2 hours putting together that train table and dollhouse!


Leah on Christmas Day with her Pawpaw (she sure loves Graham's toys!)



Being silly with Daddy (notice he's wearing the obligatory UH Christmas sweatshirt!)


and loving on him too!

Eric's Graduation 2010

Eric graduated from UHCL with his Masters in Computer Science on Saturday. I am so very proud of him. He has put in a lot of hours and hard work to get here. A lot has changed since he got his Bachelors in 2004!

Leah is the same age that Natalie was when Eric got his Bachelors!

Graduation 2004
Eric & Natalie



Graduation 2010
Eric & Natalie


Eric & Leah



Me, Eric, & Leah


Erica didn't feel good and didn't want to be in the pictures, and Eric's sister Jamie kept Graham for us during the ceremony.

We also had a good visit with our family while we were in Houston. I'm sad to say that my camera never left the car, so the only pics I got were the ones above and they were taken with Eric's phone. I am very happy though to say that I am getting a new lens for my camera for Christmas! Eric wanted to get me something, but I've been talking equally about wanting a new lens and an iphone and he didn't know which one I'd be happier with, so he let me choose. After much deliberation I chose the lens. I'm hoping with a better lens, I'll be more apt to take pictures around the house and post more! I can play with his iphone for now! It *should* be here by Christmas, so hopefully I can get some good pics of the kids on Christmas morning. That is if Eric doesn't make me put it under the tree to unwrap! lol

November Pictures

Here are some random pics from November.

Trying to get Leah to show off her new top teeth after lunch.


She looks like a little Snaggletooth


Graham and Leah playing together. I love that she's big enough now to actually play alongside the other kids. It is so cute to me when she crawls into the playroom after them and finds something to play with near them! And she's always got that tongue hanging out!


My cute baby girl - and my messy house in the background


So messy


but so cute


Showing off her pulling up skills - she's cruising like crazy now too.


Look Mom, one hand!


Graham and Leah playing together after our Christmas card photo shoot.

Quick dr. update

Graham and Leah had well checkups today with the pediatrician.

Graham weighs 28lbs and is 35" which puts him at the 47th %ile for weight and 57th %ile for height. Just right! He is doing well all around. It was funny because I had to undress him for his checkup but he didn't want to take his socks off because they were "Cars". So I left them on him, but he kept slipping and falling all over the floor. When the dr. was checking him out she said she could tell by the bruises on his shins that he's an active little boy and that just tells her he's getting good exercise. Lol, well that's one way of looking at it! I said that you can tell he likes to play outside too from his farmer's tan! lol

Leah weighs 15lbs 12oz. Technically, that is only 1oz. more than what she weighed at her last appt. on Sept. 29. The dr. showed me the chart and we both agree that she must have been mis-weighed at her last appt. She was in the 7-8th %ile for over a month, then had jumped up to the 23rd. Then today, was back down to the 5th. That 5-10% ile is all on the same curve, so we think she's been following that curve all this time, becuase that jump in weight just doesn't make sense. She's gotten 3" taller since her last appt, is eating plenty, and is very mobile. She wasn't concerned at all and that was a relief, because neither was I. She is 27" which is in the 27th %ile. The dr. did notice during her checkup that she had an ear infection on her right ear. She has been pulling on her ear a little over the past couple days, but has been otherwise happy, so I didn't think anything of it. I'm glad she caught it today though. So she's on he first dose of antibiotics. She and Graham both got shots and she also got a finger prick for iron check. It came back great and they both did good with their shots. She's been running a low grade fever this evening and not feeling well, but I don't know if it's because of the shots, the ear infection, or both. Hopefully tomorrow she will start feeling better. I have some pictures that I need to post, but they are on the other computer upstairs, so will have to wait. Don't miss the post I just did below with pics from Erica's birthday in Houston.

Erica's 5th Birthday Take 2

We were supposed to go to Houston the weekend before Thanksgiving, but our house got hit with a stomach virus, so we had to cancel our trip. I was bummed that we weren't going to get to go to the family Thanksgiving with Eric's side of the family, and also bummed that we were going to have to cancel Erica's family party at Chuck E Cheese. Luckily, it worked out that we were able to go down the weekend after Thanksgiving instead. We got to spend some time with the family and got to have Erica's birthday party after all. She has so much fun playing games with her cousins and being Princess for the day. Here are some pics from the party straight from my memory card to the blog.

Birthday Girl riding a pony


Graham and Noah on a video ride together. Neither of them was too impressed.


Poor Scarlett wasn't feeling well.


Erica way up high.


Her last minute grocery store cake that she picked out and was over the moon for. She has been wearing that tiara and carrying that wand ever since her party (even STILL) even though the wand broke in half the next day and was taped back together lol.


Pretending to blow out the "candles" (we didn't have a lighter so we told her to just pretend lol)


So silly.


Katie and Erica


Posing with her tiara and crown at a picture booth.


Leah wasn't too happy at first.


Josh & Shianne and Eric & Leah - Leah trying to steal Shi's paci


Leah came around and had a good time.



We stayed with Eric's mom while we were in town. The oldest 3 kids slept on a pallet together on the floor. It was the first time for Graham and they all did great. They were all so tired by bedtime that they crashed right away. I couldn't get over how cute they looked sleeping all together like this.