No Longer a "Toofless" Tot

We have waited ten and a half months for Layla Jade to begin the trials of cutting teeth. We were afraid she would encounter problems considering my history with cutting new teeth. But, obviously (and thankfully), she does not have the same problem. Last Sunday, after church, I had reached in her mouth to make sure she had nothing stuck to the roof of it and really did finish the cracker that fast...and she bit me. Quite literally bit me. I was so happy she finally had a tooth, I could have cried! Instead, I called her Daddy to let him join in the triumph. She only has the one on the bottom front left, but there are soon to be more to follow. She is being very stingy with showing it off just yet. She still likes to feel for it herself.

In other news, she is just about to take off walking. Today I noticed that she will squat down to pick up her paci without falling. She can stand straight back up with the cutest smile that can make a heart melt! She took a small step today, of course before realizing she had already let go of what she was supporting herself with. And, while I have no pictures of her tooth yet, I do have a picture of the day we found she had a tooth! This will be a short blog, but I figured an update would be nice!

Gettin' Around

Last Friday, July 17th, I witnessed a truly amazing feat of Layla Jade's. Let's just say that her little silver flip flops were across the room, and when I turned around from putting away her laundry, she was half-way there. So, naturally, I moved them further away from her so I could see if what I thought I saw was true. It just so happened, I wasn't going crazy and seeing apparitions. I was seeing Layla Jade crawling across the room! Folks, she's mobile!
I meant to post something last week, but we had a bit of a busy weekend, and this week has been crazy so far. She has already started pulling up on things, and we have been "Layla" proofing the household! Tracey even went so far as to putting a child lock on the refridgerator. Yes, I think he has gone overboard with it, but I have learned to choose my battles....somewhat. She is amazing. We have to put a child gate up in her bedroom door, in fear of her venturing towards the stairway. She's getting around extremely well to have only been at it for 5 days now. It's amazing how quickly she learns. She held an actual, cooing-type, conversation on the phone with Mimi. She is crazy about Mimi. I can say her name or Memum's, Pepop's, Daddy's, Denny's, Tigger's (cat), or Henry's (dog) name, and she is quick to turn her head in search for them. I still can't grasp that my baby will be 9 months old next week. Where has the time gone?!
I promise I will catch her in the act on either picture, or video and post it asap! But for now, it's off to bed for me! Night folks!

First Boat Outing

A few weekends ago, we went out on the new boat with Mom and Dad. I thought I would have to talk Daddy in to taking us, but all it took was asking in advance! Layla Jade had never been, and Tracey and I wanted to go tubing. So we packed a picnic, swimsuits, sunscreen, towels, life jackets, and ourselves on to the boat. Layla Jade didn't know what to think. She loves the outdoors, but this was something different. Her little head was turning from side to side trying to take in all the scenery. We got her settled in to a life jacket and Memum plopped her in her lap. It was so hot though. Layla was absolutely miserable in the life jacket. When one of us would come in from being in the water, we would wrap her in our arms to get her cool.


Finally, Memum had had enough. She pulled the life jacket off and held to her tightly. This made Layla Jade a lot happier. She was much more enjoyable after she was cooler. She talked and laughed. She pulled Memum's earrings out....ouch! But, all in all, she enjoyed it. That's my girl! I always loved the boat. I loved the water, the tubing, the fishing, being with Daddy(and sometimes Granddaddy when I was little), but notsomuch baiting my hook. I still say that Daddy will have to bait my hook if I go fishing. Some things never change!

Memum and Layla Jade played most of the time we were on the boat. There were few times that I looked back, and Layla was perfectly at peace sitting still. That child never sits still. She has to be doing something at all times *just like Mommy*. When we got in that evening, it was starting to get dark, Layla Jade was hungry and sleepy, and so were we. We got back to my parent's, loaded up, and headed home. It was nice to get to spend the afternoon with them doing something we all love.

It will definitely be something we have to do again...and soon!

My Own Little Flipper And A New Friend

Today, Layla Jade and I went to a friends house to play in the pool and try out that awesome "crab" float that Memum got for her. While we were there, Layla Jade made a new friend. Let me introduce you to Lillie Ann, also known as Lillie Pi. Lillie will turn 2 in July, and was absolutely crazy about her new little play mate! She helped her put her paci in her mouth, helped put sun screen on the "her" baby, and swam with us. We also met up with two other close friends of mine, Elizabeth and Jeremy. Layla Jade loved the pool, and was very much so interested in the other "little" person. She kicked herself around in her float, and was at peace with it for nearly an hour.

Renita, Lillie, and Layla Jade.

Lillie loved Layla Jade. She called her "her" little Angel! So cute!

A little while after being in the pool, I decided to get my camera and take a few snapshots of this cutie in her "crab" float for everyone to see! She was showing out for me, kicking around and spashing the water in her "mini" pool in the crab's smile! My water baby! She looked so cute today in her little tankini and her lacie bonnet! Those big blue/green eyes wide open and very aware of her surroundings.

Then there was a big smile as I snapped the last shot of her in the pool. She was chatting as she did so! I took her out after I took the pictures to swim on my back, and let her ride on my chest. I kept one arm over her so she wouldn't try to roll off, just in case. But, she didn't even attempt to roll off. She was too intrigued by splashing the water on my chest in to my face, all while kicking with her legs. I hope she will be a water baby like I was. I have always loved the water. Just disliked the sunscreen that got in my eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day in the pool with this little one. I can honestly say we had a big splash of fun! Afterwards, Layla Jade was tuckered out. I gave her some juice to keep her hydrated, and chatted for a few minutes more before walking out to the car. On the way to the car, she fell asleep in my arms not to wake up when I put her in her seat, nor to take her out of her seat. She ended up going to bed about an hour after we got home. She has slept peacefully since!

Juice Me, Feed Me

This little girls stubborness and independence is definitely shining through now. I do well with this when she wants to entertain herself on the floor, but when she attempts to take the spoon out of our hands to feed herself...that's where I just have to draw the line. I know I should just let her experiment and feed herself....or at least try, but I just can't bring myself to it! I don't know if it's the fact that we are renting, and I would have to clean the carpets every time that she decided to throw her food off the side of her high chair, or if it is just that she is growing up too fast and I want to feed her a bit longer before I turn it over to her. She has so far learned to love green beans, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, and mixed berries. The pears are a bit sour. But she makes this adorable face and shakes her head, and has us laughing until tears come! She's such a great little girl! She has such a strong personality, and she's strong willed. Not sure if that's good or bad yet. I guess in some aspects, it's good. In others, it's not so great! But, regardless, we love her and enjoy every waking moment with her!

Layla Jade is now to the age where I can switch out her formula with juice once, sometimes twice a day if she does well digesting it, a day. She got to the point, a while back, where SHE wanted to be the one to hold her bottle and no one else! She is growing so fast! Time seems to fly now. She's rounding, all too quickly, on seven months. Her favorite juice is white grape. She's not too keen on the mixed fruit juice that the infant aisle carries. I guess it's an aquired taste that she hasn't quite aquired just yet.

This is the first video clip of eating pears. It's great!

Pebbles

So, I mentioned in an earlier blog that I would post some pictures of my "little Pebbles."
It is the cutest little up-do for infants with a lot of hair! I should know, I was one of those cute babies! Later, I will post a picture of me with pebbles as compared to Layla Jade with Pebbles.

This is after we take her hair down at night.

She loves the camera.

Pebbles with a hair bow

Layla Jade enjoying her "dancing, music playing, bear

Mimi put her hair up this day!! And loved it

Fun in the Sun with her new sunglasses

Chasing Time

I was talking to Mimi (my grandmother) the other day about all the different things that Layla Jade has discovered, and all the different things that I have discovered she can do, and I kept thinking all the time...where has the time gone? It just doesn't seem like nearly five months to me!! I feel like I am chasing the clock to make sure that I see EVERYTHING new that she learns! It feels like there aren't enough hours in the day.

One of her newest achievements is (partially) sitting up on her own. She doesn't quite have the hang of it, but she is getting there. Her first instinct is to lunge forward after a minute or so of sitting up. Then she does the face plant routine, and comes up laughing! But, she can sit up for a minute or so on her own! That's what counts! That is where I got one of the most recent pictures. She was sitting on me, on the couch, with the most precious curious faces I have ever seen!

Another great feat of hers is rolling over on her own. We now have to keep a constant watch on her, for she will be across the room before we know it if we don't. She rolls easier when she starts out laying on her tummy, but lately she has been rolling while starting out on her back too. She just talks and squeals as she goes on her merry way. We have found that she has a giggle box, that doesn't take much to set off! I love it! Her little laugh is adorable, and her smile can melt your heart! Lastnight, while I was at work and Tracey was home with Layla Jade, she got hold of "Tigger" on her swing, and pulled him towards her mouth. Tracey said that he looked back and she had the little play-set pulled down to her face. So he set it back away from her face, and said that she instantly started reaching for it again! She can grab things with both hands and her mouth is where she puts them!

Whether her hands are empty, or full!

I was singing to her the other day, and Layla Jade started cooing along with me. She loves to be read to and sung to every day. She is/has been sleeping in her crib through the night, by herself for a little over a month now. I had to break her of sleeping with Mommy all the time, and it wasn't easy! Because as much as she liked being next to me, I loved being next to her as well. It made me feel secure. I knew that my baby was safe as long as I had her in the same room as me at all times, and in the same bed at night. But, she seems to like sleeping by herself now. She's more content at night by herself in her crib. I have learned that it is hard to sleep with her anymore because she squirms constantly now. In her crib, on the other hand, she is perfectly still.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention her new hair-do! We can now put her hair up in "pebbles." Those of you who knew, and saw me (or have seen pictures of me), when I was little...you know what the "pebbles-do" is! I will post pictures as soon as I transfer them to the computer!

Time Flies When Your Having Fun

Layla Jade is over three months old now, and amazes Tracey and myself ever day. She learns so fast. Her most recent achievement is her eye-hand coordination. She is goint to be a left like her Mommy, I just know it! It is her most dominant hand thus far. She likes to play with her 'Tiny Love' and all the dangly things on it! She is also learning to sit in her Bumbo. She is not particularly fond of it just yet, but she is learning quickly. She sits in it as long as it takes me to do my daily chores, give or take a bit.

She has also learned to enjoy her stoller, though it swallows her whole! At first she was not crazy about it, but she seemed to enjoy it after we got going in it. She slept through most of her first ride. Tracey and I have been taking advantage of this unseasonably warm weather, and taking afternoon walks with Layla Jade in her stoller. She likes to look around. It's a nice change of scenery for her little eyes! She hasn't gotten to be out much, because it has been too cold. So, now she gets to have new experiences outside. She seems to love the outdoors. Who wouldn't?

Her personality is showing more each and every day. She smiles and coos at random things. She talks to me when I sit her on my knees. She throws a tantrum from time to time. She is ultimately a happy baby. She's our little thrill seeker. She loves to do Layla Lift Off, and we lift her up above our heads. She's started to giggle a bit when we do this!

Friday, she got to go to Mom's (or Memum's) office with me to do some filing. She enjoyed herself there after I sat down and gave her a bottle! I put a blanket on the floor with a rattle and she went about her merry way! Then, we went to Memum and Pepops and they had a house full! Mimi, Denny, Aunt B, Thomas, Sarah Grace, Elizabeth, and Anna were all there. Aubrey (Aunt B.) came in to do Layla Jade's three month hand prints. Layla Jade did not like it at all, but her little hand prints are going to turn out beautifully! She got to spend some one-on-one time with her little cousin, Anna. They laid on a blanket and studied each other, talking a little here and there, and held hands! It was so precious. My sister is the smart one and carries her camera every where she goes, while I go and forget mine at home. So, she has all the cuteness pictures. Here are some of my pictures for you to look at.

Layla Jade, Mimi, and Anna Joy one Sunday afternoon
Layla Jade before bath time

The 'After' picture of the first stroller ride.

The 'Before' picture of the first stroller ride

Layla Jade in her Bumbo

Finally 21

So, I am finally 21 years old. Though, it doesn't feel any different, other than being able to get in to a club that only allows people 21 years of age. Oh, and I can go up to a bar tender at clubs and get a drink...legally. I still feel like the same Kimberly, in the same body. I am not upset that I don't feel any different, but I thought I would. I will tell you one thing. I never expected to be married, or have a child by the age of 21. I don't regret any of that, though! I wouldn't change anything when it comes to my husband or our daughter, I am crazy about them both!
So, for my 21st birthday, Tracey took me out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's so I could get a drink! I ended up not liking the drink that I got, so I added coca cola to it....bad idea. I thought since it had coke in the ingredients, that it wouldn't be half bad. Wrong was I! It just made it even more nasty than it was to begin with!
Adrienne and I at Sammy T's Saturday Night

Saturday, we had plans to go to some clubs with some of our closest friends. We then arranged for Layla Jade to spend the night up at Tracey's parent's house. So, here we are, 7:00p.m. waiting on everyone to arrive to our apartment. We had borrowed my Connie's (My Mother-In-Law) vehicle to take everyone in since it was bigger. Mine and Tracey's closest friend, Adrienne, was the first to arrive. Tracey then pointed out that girls took a ridiculously long time to get ready, for Adgie and I changed clothes SEVERAL times! Steven and Rachel were the next to arrive. By then, Adrienne and I were quite satisfied with our outfits, with Tracey telling us what and what not to wear! Tehe! Rachel decided to get the party started before we left by bringing a 6-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade and handing them out across the living room....all except for Tracey. He was to be the D.D. I drank one, Adrienne drank one of my J.D's Hometown Punch, Rachel devoured two, Steven had one. Cori was the last to arrive, but she also decided that she would be able to come after all, last minute!
Here we go. It's 8:15p.m.ish, and we are loading in to the vehicle. Tracey drives, I am in the passenger seat, Rach behind Tracey, Cori in the middle, Adgie behind me....Steven in the back! It was a very chatty trip to Huntsville with Rachel being buzzed....I put that too lightly....on the verge of drunk, and all of us trying to decide whether or not we really wanted to go to Sammy T's or try somewhere else. We ended up going to Sammy T's. We stayed there for a while, had a few drinks, a few shots, and a many bathroom breaks. At one point, Cori decided that the four of us (Rachel, Cori, Adrienne, and myself) should dance. People, NOBODY was on the flippin' dance floor. But we had just enough alcohol in us to tough it out and go out there! At first, everyone stared, then they all seemed to disappear as we quit concentrating on them staring at us, and just have fun! Around 11:00 they had a band come on that nobody in our group was really enjoying, so we left to go to Humphry's.
Though it was a little walk, it was FREEZING outside and none of us had jackets. So we RAN, making it even worse with the nip of the wind. But, it went by quicker. The woman at the door checked our IDs and when she got to mine, she told me NO! I was sure to point out the little red date on the side of my ID, then she apologized for offending me and let us in. Steven got the band to sing Happy Birthday to me. Tracey MADE me stand there and be embarrassed. It was a full house, everyone got quieter, and glared at me....yipes! I went to get another drink after that. When we got tired of the smoke, and the crowd, we decided to go to the Crossroads.
We enjoyed this much better. We were all sober again by this point...all but Steven. Tracey only had one or two drinks hours earlier. So, he was still our D.D. We actually got to dance there! It was the first place that we had been that a ,rather large, crowd was dancing. (Including a group of Cowboys....hats and everything!) The music was easy to dance to, there was no smoking downstairs, all was good. After the band was finished, everyone in our group was ready to go home and hit the hay. So...we had to suck it up and walk a pretty good piece to the vehicle. There were two patrol cars next to the vehicle when we got within eyesight of it. Tracey, Adrienne, and myself just threw a look at each other like "What In The World?" When we got close enough, we realized that they had pulled someone over in front of the vehicle, and the one patrol car was just back up. The three of us got in the car, and then a few seconds later the other three got in to the car. We were hoping as we left, that they weren't counting how many people actually ended up getting in! Apparently they weren't, thank goodness! We got back home around 2 a.m. ish, everyone went their seperate ways, and Tracey and I took turns taking a shower to get the cigarette smoke smell of of us! We fell asleep watching Pirates of the Carribean. I don't drink often at all, but I wanted to go out and have a good time for my 21st! So we did, and we had a blast. We are planning to go dancing again in April or May!

Growing Girl

Now-a-Days, Layla Jade's favorite time of day seems to be bath time. She smiles and chats at us while she is being bathed, and even enjoys the taste of soapy water in her face. Tracey is normally the bath giver around here. He claims it as "Daddy-Layla time", even though Mommy is usually standing by just in case he needs assistance with something!


After it is all said and done, and Layla Jade is scrubbly clean,Tracey moves her bath lounger towards the back of the tub to give her some room to "frog around."She has recently discovered that the edge of the tube is good for pushing her little feet off of to make her paddle further through the water. She is particularly good about holding her little head up out of the water, so as not to plunge her nose and mouth in to it in a way she most definitely does not like(yes, she has discovered this much too! And was quick to readjust herself so she didn't do it again!) She is our little swimmer girl!

She has also found her legs and feet lately. She loves standing as long as her little legs will hold her up. When she has rested them long enough for her liking, she will demand to stand up again! It's amazing how muscular she already is! Her little arms and legs are strong, and her fingers! She loves to "fly" around the apartment with her Daddy, and do "Layla Lift Off" with Mommy, for anyone to walk her around and talk to her at any given time! I will post pictures of these favorites as I get them! She's a ball of energy these days, it seems! I love every minute of it, even when it's at 4:00 a.m. like it is now! She is laying on her play mat in the floor chatting! Normally, she sleeps through the night...at least 7 or 8 hours worth....but she had a 3 hour nap from about 7:30-10:30p.m. so I guess I asked for this one!