Happy 1st birthday, Kade!

This weekend we traveled to VA for Breeley's cousin, Kade's, birthday party. He's Brian's sister, Lindsay's, third child and is exactly 5 weeks younger than Breeley.

Kade's party was at Brian's grandparents' cabin in Wytheville, the same place where we had Breeley's party.

Breeley loved playing in the cabin, where teetering around was safer than outside on the concrete.


But she kept wanting to go out!

Here is Breeley with the birthday boy and Ma.

And with Granny Jen and Pappy.

Kade loved his cake!

Duncan family: Lindsay, Brian (Lindsay married a Brian), Emma (6), Lance (3 1/2), and Kade.

Breeley enjoyed cake and ice cream and a bunch of other food!

Mouth full of food!

It was fun! Happy birthday, Kade!

We'd planned to stay the night at the cabin, but Breeley is having carseat aversion issues, so the 4 hour drives between SC and VA have not been fun lately! (Actually, no drive longer than 5 minutes has been fun lately!) We decided to leave around bedtime so she'd sleep in the car. She'd had such a fun and exhausting day that it worked perfectly! Of course, we were exhausted too so it was a struggle to stay awake, but we made it home around midnight and then Breeley let us sleep in until 9:30!!

BrEeLeY's FiRsT sTePs!!

Breeley is walking!! She's gained a lot of confidence in the last week and has been completely focused on walking. She's been standing on her own and several times took one step. When I picked her up from daycare yesterday, they told me she "does not want to lay on the changing table, does not want to be held, does not want to sit, she wants to GO!" She pretty much walks and climbs at daycare all day (and eats a ton of snacks, but that's another story).

Tonight, pretty much as soon as I got home with her, she was standing at a chair in our dining room and just let go and walked 4 steps to Brian. Then she did it again.

Here she is before bedtime:

Of course, with these wobbly first steps comes more injuries. Here are her injuries from 2 hours at home tonight. These are just the ones that involved screaming, hurt crying and several minutes of comforting. I'll admit she's kind of a weenie, but all of these warranted crying.

• Fell backwards on kitchen floor and hit her head.
• Fell sideways into cabinet and hit her face.
• Fell forward in tub and hit her forehead.
• Fell forward onto book, which smashed into her face.
• Lunged forward onto corner of ottoman and busted her lip, which involved blood and Mommy's stomach doing flips.

We quickly put her to bed after that one. She'd had a rough night!

First steps are so exciting!! (But a little nerve-wracking too!) We're so proud of our big girl!

Chomp, Chomp

Well, I knew it came with the territory of the Mobile Infant class... Breeley got bit today.



This picture was taken almost 3 hours later, and it was still visible when she went to bed, so it was pretty bad. I counted 9 teeth. Ouch!

She didn't do anything to instigate it, but these things just happen with that age group. I've actually been more worried about her being on the biting side instead of the bitee, not because of any overly aggressive personality trait, but kids can get kicked out of daycare for biting, and that would leave us in a bind. I was kind of hoping the biting business would bypass us completely!

Despite the mark, she didn't seemed fazed by it by the time I saw her. They said she got the most upset from having to sit still long enough for ice!

Memorial Day Moles & Holes

With all the fun we've been having lately, I'd hoped to have a more interesting post than this to describe our long-weekend activities. But the overcast, on-and-off rainy weather kind of put a damper on things and we've just spent a lot of time at home. Brian went fishing a couple times and we went on an outing to Sportsman's Warehouse and Dick's, but there's not much else to report.

We treated our yard for moles (they are terrible this year!) and managed to kill all our squirrels. They are both nuisances to us, so that doesn't bother me too much, but the squirrels dug hundreds of holes in the yard to get to the peanuts meant for the moles, and the moles dug more tunnels to go around the holes, so the yard looks much worse now than when we started!! I'm not sure what Brian's Plan B is, but I'm sure he has one. I think I'll vote against using more peanuts, for the obvious ineffectiveness but also because I'm terrified Reesey will somehow get ahold of one, especially now that the squirrels dug them all up.

Here's Breeley and Reesey watching Brian attempt Plan A:


Breeley has been pretty good and we've enjoyed a lot of play time. She's even taken a few steps, and by that I mean a few times she took one step. She's definitely in all-out walking mode and we know she'll take off at any time! She's getting a lot more confident standing and moving from thing to thing, and she gets really frustrated when she has to crawl to get somewhere.

Whenever she runs into things, she switches to the other side to push the walker in the opposite direction. She could go back and forth for hours I think! It's like a big game of pinball!


This shows all her walking apparatus lined up. She tries to make it so she can switch from one to another and go as far as possible without having to crawl. It kinda reminds me of that triangle game with the pins (the one on each table at Cracker Barrel) where you try to keep moving and end up with as few pins as possible. She tries to make it so she always has another means to keep moving on her feet.


She's been having a lot of fun with her ball pit. She's moved from playing with it from the outside to actually diving into it now! She also loves to fake us out by pretending to hand us a ball but then pulling her hand back and not giving it to us. She thinks that is so funny! She does give it to us sometimes and she likes when we say "thank you" in a silly voice.



Tomorrow it's back to work. It was a pretty uneventful holiday, but I love lounging around and playing with Brian, Breeley, and Reesey any day!

Ew. Yuck.

The one damper on our beach trip (weather wasn't perfect, a little overcast, but okay) was that Brian had a stomach bug pretty much the whole time. He probably would have preferred to lay around at home, but he was a good sport! Breeley and I had the bug on Friday and Brian caught it Saturday morning. For some reason when these things pass through our family, he gets them the worst! We're glad he's feeling better now!

We'll enjoy relatively good health for a few days and then Breeley or I will get some kind of sinus junk! It's always something!

Vacation Crashers

We ended up taking a completely spur-of-the-moment overnight trip to Charleston with Brian's parents this weekend. They were passing though Columbia on their way south for vacation and stopped to stay the night Friday and drop off a lawnmower they were giving us. We were surprised Saturday morning when they showed us their new camper!! In the excitement, they invited us or we invited ourselves to Charleston for the night! We didn't have plans, so we threw together some clothes and headed down the road!

We were excited to take Breeley on her first trip to the beach!

She was definitely not a fan of the sand. Neither was I - the sunscreen was like tape for the sand, and her sand-covered snacks meant sand in her mouth! Yuck! Not off to a great start!


First dip in the ocean.


Sizing it up.


Deciding she liked the water a lot better than the sand!!




We lasted about 15 minutes in the sun because I was paranoid my fair-skinned redhead would get burnt! Luckily, we were right next to the pier at Folly Beach. Breeley was content to sit on Daddy's lap and stare off at the ocean with the rest of us.


Walking on the beach with Ma.




The always-creative sleeping arrangements. She slept great!


She loved exploring the camper.


And meal times, of course. She looks like such a big girl here.


Her new thing is giving kisses. Here, Pappy is the lucky recipient!

Always fun with Ma and Pappy!


Walking off into the sunset (rain clouds) at the campground.

Thanks for letting us crash your first two days of vacation! It was fun!

Let's go fly a kite!

We went to the park tonight to take advantage of the perfect kite-flying weather!

No problem getting it to fly. It looked pretty in the sky! The string wasn't long enough though.



Brian let Breeley hold the string. Sweet.


Of course, she was more interested in walking around and around the stroller.




She got more excited about it when she could see it up close.


Fun times! I remember flying my Minnie Mouse kite at Kuhn Barnett Elementary School near our house growing up. We put yarn on toilet paper rolls so the kites could go higher. We'll need to do that next time!

Springtime Fun

We've been having lots of fun lately! With spring comes warmer weather and longer daylight hours so we've been able to get out of the house more. We're also able to do more and more with Breeley as she gets older.

We like taking walks around our neighborhood or in the park in the evenings. Breeley has loved riding in the new wagon Ma and Pappy got her for her birthday.







Last week, Breeley and I met my friend Carrie and her twin girls, Grace and Zoe, for lunch. Two 2-year-olds, a 1-year-old, and macaroni and cheese make for a pretty rowdy bunch, but it's fun to watch the girls! I loved the opportunity to see and talk to Carrie. I admire the great job she's doing with her cute girls!



Brian introduced Breeley to my favorite treat: ice cream! Brian loves this Breyer's strawberry cheesecake kind that we only get when it's on sale. Despite the hilarious face she made, Breeley loved it too! Reesey has always been a fan, so I let her have some of mine.







Last night we built a fort! Breeley didn't really get the fort idea, but she loved knocking the pillows down and jumping on Daddy!





I'm sure there's lots more fun to come!

You know you're a mommy when...

I used Breeley's birthday post to talk about how much I love being a mommy, so in honor of Mother's Day, I came up with a list with a twist.

You know you're a mommy when...

• you spend 5 minutes wiping down the seat of the grocery cart and then realize there are no safety straps!
  
• your husband comes home laughing that a coworker asked, "What do you guys do after work? Just hang out?"
  
• you've ever wondered: what did we do with all our time before we had a child?
  
• after getting your 6-month daycare statement ($3,588), you wondered: what did we do with our money before we had a child?
  
• your husband was so embarrassed that he stayed behind at a restaurant to clean up the mess your child made on the floor under her highchair.
  
• just when you thought your child didn't need a bath that night, she wipes spaghetti in her hair.
  
• you carry antibacterial wipes with you everywhere (and a Tide pen, and hand sanitizer, and sunscreen, and...).
  
• when your child throws up in her crib in the middle of the night, you pick up the chunks with your bare hands, and don't think of it as gross until you're on your way to work the next day.
  
• the person in the car next to you smiles knowingly as you sing ABCs and silly songs to keep your kid from screaming in the car.
  
• by the end of the day, you've put the tupperware back into the cabinet at least 8 times!
  
• your idea of a perfect night is a smooth bedtime and getting to sit down before 8:30.
  
• you give your kid a roll of paper towels or box of tissues to play with because you know it will keep her occupied long enough for you to hurriedly clean the bathroom.
  
• bowls are more often used as a piece of your child's drumset rather than their intended use.
  
• you find a questionable yellowish brown substance under your fingernail and realize it could very well be poop!
  
• you spoke in baby talk "to your baby" even when you were at the store by yourself.
  
• you'd be embarrassed to show most people the faces and noises you do to make your child laugh!
  
• you've spent more than one car ride with one arm stretched in the backseat over the car seat, letting your infant hold onto your finger, rubbing her cheek, feeding her Cheerios, or otherwise trying to get her to stop screaming. (While your husband drives, you've even squeezed your post-pregnancy body over the backseat so you don't have to pull over.)
  
• you've ever wished you had one more arm, your finger was just thiiiiis much longer, etc.
  
• your baby's nails are always way too long because your stomach turns circles at even the thought of cutting them because you are so afraid of cutting her (you did the first time you tried), so now you make your husband do it.
  
• you've spent 30 minutes backtracking through the mall/store/fairgrounds looking for a lost shoe or sock, with around a 50% success rate.
  
• you say you'll get an SUV, but you secretly know you'll end up driving a minivan with a stick-figure family decal in the back window!
  
• as your dog happily laps up leftovers, you offer her a sippy cup!

And yes, these are all true-life experiences!! What an adventure!


For Mother's Day...

Brian watched Breeley for a few hours so I could go to lunch with some of my favorite ladies. Katie (former student) was visiting, Lauren (student worker) is leaving for the summer, and Kourtney (graduate student) just graduated and is moving, so it was great to get together with them and Suzanne!



Brian and Breeley got me some pretty flowers to hang on our back porch.



And because I wouldn't be a mother without Breeley, I got her a gift too. She loves her new swing!





I LOVE BEING BREELEY'S MOMMY!!

And for the two other most important mothers in my life, my mom and my mother-in-law, thank you so much for all you do for me. You've been great examples as I begin my own motherhood journey. I appreciate your support, guidance, and love. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I love you so much!!

My mom, who I appreciate and love now more than ever:


Brian's mom, Joy, one of my best friends:

A graduation of sorts

Today was Breeley's last day in the Infant class at daycare. She is making the long-overdue move up to the Mobile Infant room. There are pros and cons to her having been in the Infant room for so long. The biggest pro was that she knew the teachers in there so well and was very comfortable. I also liked that they are used to the kids all being on different schedules so they pretty much do whatever the parent wants. In the Mobile Infant room, they are on a schedule, so they aren't as receptive to giving breakfast or bottles at certain times. Also, the kids in that room are mostly walking so it's rougher and tougher over there! But, I'm overall really excited because the toys and activities are more on her developmental level. And the schedule will be great for her, especially a regular nap. We have a great schedule on my days off, and it always surprised me that her routine could be so different at daycare.

I'm so thankful for Ms. Sheryl, Ms. Patricia, Ms. Dot, and Ms. Patsy for taking such good care of Breeley for the last 9 months! They've shared in so many successes and milestones and I know she loves them!

Here they are minus Ms. Patricia.

I'm not creative at all, but I stole an idea from my friend Celeste's blog: http://acraftychic.blogspot.com/

I had a lot of fun putting together jars of chocolate-covered strawberries as thank-you gifts. I was pretty happy with how they came out, and her teachers loved them!

We're so thankful to have such great influences and caretakers for our precious girl!