Dear Aunty Beth,

How are you? How is New York?

I hear it is VERY cold there.  It is sunny here today. 

Grammy says you are feeling sick.  I'm so sorry,  I wish you were feeling better.

I got shots this week and didn't feel good either.  I was crying a lot.

I'm glad you weren't here to see me crying because I know you don't like it.

I am learning to roll over. 

I will practice a lot while you're gone so I can show you when you get home.

I'm also obsessed with grabbing my toes, that's why I'm doing it in almost all of my pictures.

It is really fun, you should try it.

I hope you are having a good time in New York, even though you have to work.

Don't work too hard, try to have some fun too.

I hope you enjoy the Broadway show on Tuesday. 

Maybe, when I am bigger, we can go to a Broadway show together.

I miss you, but mommy says you'll be home on Friday.

See you then.

Love,

Laci

XOXOXO

PS:  Mommy has learned how to crochet giant flowers

and she thinks it is cute to put them on my hats.  Good grief!

An unsuspecting target...

What this innocent dog doesn't know is 

the baby who was nearly immobile as of Monday

can now roll easily (and frequently) from her tummy to her back,

can roll almost as easily from her back to her tummy,

can completely spin in a circle on her tummy,

and is doing her very best at learning how to inch forward

army style. 

What this innocent dog also doesn't know is

said baby is completely obsessed with her

and will do anything within her power to get close enough to touch her. 

Unfortunately for the dog,

the baby's power to move has increased exponentially in the last week

and she'd better get ready to run.

Spending time with my girl...

...some computer time...

...some chewing time...

...some sittin' time...

...some quality time...

Photography Goals and A Japanese Maple

Do you ever take a picture you just really like? 

This is one for me. 

It stopped raining sometime yesterday afternoon, so I went outside and literally ran around the yard snapping pictures as quickly as I could.  So many days of dark gray skies make it difficult to capture well-lit images.  I really like how this one turned out, not sure why, and I'm pretty sure I would have a hard time repeating it.  While in theory I understand what aperture and shutter speed mean, I'm pretty much incapable of applying them in practice.  My camera's auto-mode and I are great friends. 

I hate saying resolutions out loud.  Fear of failure keeps me from telling anyone my goals - I would hate to be held accountable for keeping them.  But that won't get me anywhere...so I'll just say it now.  My goal this year is to learn how to use my camera.  It can't be that hard.  It is the most basic simple SLR model available.  I've found so many good sources of inspiration, as well as instruction, online - it is actually really overwhelming.  I just need to pry myself away from other distractions and focus.  That might be quite a challenge in itself, as five month olds generally don't allow focus on anything for longer than five minutes or so. 

It helps that the sun has returned today.  There is something about waking up to sunshine this morning that has really motivated me. 

There is a story that goes with this picture - as there usually is.  This little red stick is a Japanese Maple tree from my Grandma's backyard.  Anyone who has ever shopped for said tree will know that by the time they reach a sellable size, they usually have a ridiculous price tag attached to them.  If I am able to keep this little sapling alive for the next decade, it should reach a decent size suitable for planting in my future backyard.  So far, I been able to nurture it through one summer and part of a winter, surviving 100+ degree temperatures, freeze, and extremely powerful winds - not simultaneously, of course.  I figure if I can keep it alive for one year, it will be a good sign.  In the case it doesn't survive, I'll be digging in my Grandma's backyard again for another try at it.

Shots

Three shots today.

Two little bandaids.

Many big tears.

Poor thing didn't see it coming.

Good Things

This week is already looking better than last week. 

Good things are happening, in spite of the still rainy eather.

My cousins, Aletha, Lesley, and Meghan, came up for a surprise visit this weekend. 

It was so nice to see them and spend time catching up. 

They are lucky my mom took most of the pictures or they would be seeing their beautiful faces here. 

(I was given strict instructions not to include their photos online.) 

We ran out of propane this weekend. 

Not running low...no, completely OUT (forgot to keep an eye on the gauge). 

This isn't really a good thing, but it turned out not to be so bad. 

After all, we still had electricity, and water, even if it was cold. 

The propane man came out first thing this morning to refill the tank

and was nice enough to relight the pilot lights for me. 

It is good to see there are still nice people in the world. 

Miss Laci rolled over this morning from tummy to back.  I totally missed it.  I put her on the floor with her toys, went to feed the dogs, and when I came back, she was laying on her back.  I knew she was getting close.  I'm sure my days of sitting still are numbered.  She also learned to spin in circles on her tummy this weekend.  She is just getting so busy and learning something new everyday.  She is figuring out how to reach for people, which makes for a fun game of "passing the baby."  She's also figuring out peek-a-boo and likes to hide her face in her blanket and then peek out.  The entertainment around here is very sophisiticated. 

This is her new eating position. 

Don't worry - she is strapped in. 

I can't feed her in the Bumbo chair anymore because she tries to dive out of it. 

I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must be with a strap digging into her stomach,

but it doesn't seem to bother her.

Here's to hoping for more good things this week.

A little sunshine would be nice.

Shoes

Why would anyone put shoes on a baby who isn't even close to walking?

Because they're cute.

Because they make me smile, which I needed today.

Because it gives her something new to check out.

Because it helped spice up her view from the floor.

Because I can.

Dreariness

What a wild storm we've been having.  Gusty winds, pouring rain, pretty cold too.  It has been completely miserable for people like me who would love it to be 80 degrees and sunny everyday.

I know I shouldn't complain because I know we need the rain, but is it really necessary to get ALL the rain we need in a matter of a few days?  I don't think so.

The old plum tree in our front yard broke in the wind.  That tree must have been here for 30 years and has survived until now.  Kind of makes me sad.  We don't know much about the people we bought this property from, but here's what I do know:  They were a married couple who bought the property in 1976 and put in the double wide mobile in 1978.  They never had any children and lived here until we bought the place in 2007.  The husband had passed away some years earlier and the wife was in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so her family moved her out to Indiana and sold the place to us.  I imagine them building this place together over the 30 years they were here - planting trees, digging ponds, building more rock walls than any one person ever should.  I've heard stories from people who knew them.  They collected the rocks from around the property and he built them into walls, fences, even a BBQ. 

They raised sheep, too. 

When we moved here, there was wool stuck to everything - tree trunks, fence posts, rock walls. 

I still find a little bit now and then.  It makes me smile.

Our ponds are full of brown, muddy water.  They look gross. 

It rained so hard the culverts couldn't keep up with the flow. 

Water ran everywhere.

We were without power for about 24 hours.  I know, doesn't seem like much, but when you don't have it, you realize how much you rely on it.  I don't mean just for the TV and computer either. 

We have propane for heat, but an electric thermostat, so no heat. 

No lights. 

No well pump.  No water.

Laci and I stayed at my mom's house last night next to the cozy wood stove.

Ryan "held down the fort" - literally. 

It felt, and sounded, like our double-wide castle might take off with the wind.

I am very thankful we are back home with full power tonight.

It has been very dreary in the Edwards house this week.

To top it all off, I hit the neighbor's dog today.

I feel terrible.

I've never hit a dog.

She just ran out straight in front of me - like she was biting the tire or something.

I hardly had time to slam on the brakes, although I tried.

I know how special my dogs are to me.

It was like hitting someone's kid.

A big brown fluffy Labrador kid.

With sweet brown eyes.

I helped her owner put her in the truck to take her to the vet.

I can hope for the best, but it didn't look good.

Tomorrow must be better.

The Stats

five months old

weighs 14 lbs 4 oz - 50th percentile

24" long - 25th percentile

Head circumference - 40 cm - 10th percentile

...one short, chunky, beanie-headed baby with a drooling problem...

Dear Aunty Jenny,

I miss you too.

Love,

Laci

...five months...

Miss Laci is a whopping five months old today.  She is becoming quite a chunk.  We go to the doctor on Wednesday so we'll have an official weigh in.  She is so much fun to have around.  We love her and enjoy watching her change everyday.  Here are some things we know about Laci at five months:

...she loves her dogs and cats, and anyone else's dogs, cats, horses, hamsters, or other furry critter

...she wants to touch everything

...if she can touch something, then she wants to grab it

...if she can grab it, it must go in her mouth for sampling

...she especially loves to grab faces and frequently tries to remove your nose/lips from your face

...she makes the sweetest sounds when she is trying to remove your nose/lips

...she has also learned to growl, which is weird, but maybe not considering how many pets she has

...she has finally learned how to swallow her cereal and actually enjoys eating

...she still can't roll over, but has been getting very close lately

...she loves to go shopping, especially to Costco - so much to look at

...she loves her mommy, and daddy too, but especially mommy

She really is the sweetest little thing and we love her to pieces.

Her First Book

This is the cutest book on earth...at least for the moment.  It was a gift from Grammy to Laci and, of course, she loves it.  It has the cutest little baby animals that you put to bed with their mommies.  It only takes a few minutes to read, even when you point to all the animals and pictures and talk about all their colors and what the animals "say."  Which is perfect, because that is about how long Laci's attention span is.  I don't know if she really likes the reading part, but she loves trying to grab the baby animals and put them in her mouth.

I love reading, and have been reading since I can remember.  I don't remember learning to read, but I do remember the first "long" book I read, I think I was about five.  It was called The Happy Orpheline and I was so proud when I finished it. 
I have been reading non-stop ever since. 

Growing up, my mom would have a hard time keeping me supplied with books during the summer

because I would read them so quickly. 

I told this to my cousin "B" recently, and his response was,

"Why would you read during the summer?" 

He is not allowed to say this to Laci.

You know how moms and dads have certain stories about you that they love to tell and re-tell.  One of the stories my parents always tell me about is how when I was little and they would agree to read me ONE book, I would go to the bookshelf and grab a whole stack of books.  Just as they were finishing with one book, I would already have the next book ready to hand to them.  I would say, "Read Me, Read Me."  One of my favorites was The Poky Little Puppy, and I would catch them if they tried to skip over parts of the book.  Laci already has a copy of that one too, although we can only get through about half of it before she gets mad. 
Apparently, books are only fun if they have parts to put in your mouth.

I hope Laci says, "Read Me."

After she gets over the whole eating the book thing.

(PS:  I just tried to find a copy of The Happy Orpheline online so I could link it to this post, especially since I'm sure most of you haven't heard of it, BUT it isn't in print anymore.  How can they do that to a book?  There are used copies available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon, but no images available.  I'm going to have to go find my copy at my mom's house, and take a picture of it for posterity's sake.

Yes, of course she still has it, she can't ever get rid of books, ever. 

She has the same problem with keeping old books

that I have with keeping old clothes. 

At least books don't go out of style.)

Adventures in Crochet

Beth recently inspired to me to learn to crochet.  She has been making these adorable little crochet critters for Laci and I've been wanting a new project.  These critters are far too advanced for me, but I found a really simple baby beanie pattern and thought I'd give it a try.  This is my second go at it, the first one is too loose.  I thought I'd do better the second time around, but I actually like the first one better - the second one is too tight.  In my eternal search for perfection, I am going to go buy more yarn and make a third one.  Hopefully it ends up being somewhere between the first two, and, if all goes as planned, will fit her little head perfectly.  Then, of course, she will need one in every color of the rainbow.

My great grandma Atkinson, who passed away last Spring, knitted and crocheted a lot until her eyesight wouldn't allow her to anymore.  When I think of her, I picture her in her chair by the front window, always with a project or a crossword puzzle in hand.  Growing up, we always had a "granny" sweater to wear, and she knitted plenty of blankets too.  One of her last projects was a baby girl blanket (shown above).  She made it from some yarn she happened to have around and didn't even know who she was making it for.  She complained, "I don't even know why I'm making this, no one is having a baby," but she made it anyway and I'm really glad she did.  Now Laci has a granny blanket too.  I wonder now why I never learned to crochet or knit from her.  Actually, I know why...it is because I didn't ask.  But I wonder why I never asked.  It would be very valuable to me now.

Apparently, someone was tired of modeling for me.

Indoor Garden & Something About Cats

I've talked about volunteer gardens before...at least I think I have.  I love the flowers that volunteer to come back in the Spring, which makes my gardening job much easier.  Well, this winter, I also have a volunteer indoor garden.  OK, well, I probably shouldn't show you this, but this is what is growing in my window.

Looks like a little hedge or something, doesn't it?  Unfortunately you can also see the mold that is growing with it, as well as how dirty the window frame is.  Is that what it is called?  You know, the part of the window where the window slides open.  Now, in my own defense, it was at least this dirty when we moved in.  I tried my best to clean it out, but short of spending an entire day on window sills (HA!), there is nothing I can do to make it any better.  Obviously the cat hair is a recent addition to the grime, but no one has ever died from living with cat hair - unless they're seriously allergic to it...which we aren't.  Good thing too...you should see how much hair I vacuum up everyday (or actually you shouldn't)...but, that is another subject entirely.  Yes, I know what the solution is, and no, I'm not ready to kick the cats outside yet.  Have you seen the weather?  They don't know it yet, but this summer they are being kicked out permanently.  Especially if we have the pleasure of removing this loveable tuna can of a home from our property.  Oh, a girl can dream...

Frustration & Eyebrows

Aren't babies supposed to look happy when they play?  Mine doesn't. 

She is so MY baby.  She gets so incredibly frustrated when she can't do something she wants to do.  I don't know if you can tell, but this toy was not behaving how she expected it to, so she proceeded to violently beat it against the counter.  I tend to do the same, only not to toys, usually to computers, pieces of equipment, and projects.  I tend to overreact when things don't go my way.  Since I'm a complete perfectionist, they usually don't go EXACTLY as planned.  This often results in throwing, slamming, and usually some profanity.  The funny thing is, as soon as I'm done throwing, slamming, and swearing, I instantly feel better and I can continue on with whatever I was doing.  That is, if the object I just threw survived the abuse.  Overall, I'm better than I used to be in that I can actually finish a project now, even if it isn't perfect.  I just pick it apart when I'm done and think about all the things I could have/should have/would have done differently to make it "perfect."  I hope she isn't quite the perfectionist I am...it is a frustrating way to be. 

She has the "Silva" eyebrows too.  Only "Silva" eyebrows can furrow that deeply.  Mine do it, my dad's do it, most of his brothers and sisters too.  It isn't always a sign of anger.  Sometimes I catch myself in a deep furrow just concentrating on something...like just now when I was typing that sentence.  It makes for horrible wrinkles, I keep reminding myself not to furrow too much.  I can see the potential in Laci's brows.  They will make a horrible frown when she gets good at frowning, which, being my baby, is inevitable.

Affordable Entertainment

Who needs expensive toys when you have tags to play with?

Just one of those days...

I've tried to write something several times this morning but keep getting interrupted.  When I come back, my whole train of thought is lost and I've had to start over.  Now, I'm just giving up on writing.  Guess it is just one of those days...

I have more to say about that, but it will have to wait until some other time.

Ready to Go

She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

This thing is so nice in the rain...

I can close the flap over the face hole and she's covered completely.

She looks a little confused when you open it back up,

like "Why did you put me in a cave?"

I think if Kenny from South Park were drawn as an infant,

this is what he would look like.

Organization

I cleaned out my closet today.  This is a big deal for me.  I have a problem with getting rid of clothes.  I'm not really sure why.  Some of the clothes in my closet were covered with dust.  I think that is a sign they have been sitting in there, unworn, for far too long.  I successfully purged two big bags of clothing, and a bag of shoes, to be taken to the ARC thrift store tomorrow.  I must remove them from my reach completely before I'm tempted to dive in and retrieve something ridiculous that I MIGHT wear once this year.  My closet is much emptier now, and much blacker.  Apparently I'm drawn to black shirts - long sleeved, short sleeved, tanks, whatever, just black.  Not even black with prints, just black.  Hmmm...what does that say about me?  I like to look slim?  I'm really a dark person inside?  Whatever...black is just simple.  It goes with everything.  I feel much better now that I've done this - a good way to start the new year.  I would show you a picture of my newly organized closet, but it really isn't very impressive.  I'll show you a picture of Laci instead (as if you didn't know that was coming).

I like to think about all the things I'll appreciate someday when we have a real house, instead of our fabulous double wide.  I like to think about how nice it will be to have a normal size oven that works, a dishwasher, double pane windows, walls that aren't fake wood paneling, and carpet that isn't slowly dissolving into dust.  You know, the basic stuff.  Today I added something to the list:  a closet worth organizing.  I want a seriously organized closet - shoe racks, drawers, shelves, the works.  This is my splurge to myself - a place to put all my shoes, instead of throwing them all over the closet floor and then getting irritated when I can only find one black flip flop and one red one.  Sure, I could buy one of the closet organizer systems at Home Depot, but I keep telling myself that it won't be worth the money because we won't be here that long.  It's like a mantra.  A mantra I've been repeating for 2 1/2 years.  A mantra I'll keep repeating as I flip through my new Crate & Barrel catalog. 

Just a Monday

Today is Monday - a dreaded word for most people. 

Laci and I are lucky, we don't mind what day of the week it is,

except that there isn't anyone at home to visit. 

Ryan went back to work today. 

He's been home with us since before Thanksgiving. 

One of the tradeoffs of working so much during the summer, he gets 6-8 weeks off every winter. 

We'll miss him during the day.

Now, Laci and I are on our own. 

I don't mind. 

We get to spend special mommy daughter time -

time that passes too quickly so I'm soaking it up while I can. 

We spent most of the weekend hanging out at my mom's house

so we are enjoying a quiet day at home today. 

Good thing too since Laci is on her third outfit of the day. 

Some days diapers just aren't enough. 

I am considering putting two or three on at one time. 

Will that hold all the poo?

The other day I asked Ryan,

"What has been the most surprising thing about having a baby?"

His answer was different than I expected.

"The Unconditional Love," he replied.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010!  Ryan and I rang in the New Year like old party pros.  Yeah, we were in bed by eleven.  Laci and I were up for a snack around 2 am and I thought to myself, "Huh, it's 2010 now.  Whoopee." 

2007 brought me a new home, 2008 brought me a new husband, and 2009 brought me a new baby.  I can only imagine what 2010 will bring.  I do hope 2010 will bring great things to the people in my life.  It is time for me to bask in the glow of a fantastic few years and let others take the spotlight.  I want to be able to sit around this year and relax, while others race around planning for houses, weddings, babies, or whatever else may come. 

There are many things I want to try to do better this year, but I refuse to make any official resolutions. I don't want the pressure of trying to keep them.  I think it is enough that I want to try to be better, do better, feel better.  Hopefully at the end of the year I will feel like I have accomplished that. 

Happy New Year to everyone. 

I hope all your dreams come true this year, except the really bad dreams, which I hope they don't.