The many faces of Lena

Ok, I know..I'm a HUGE slacker. Forgive me, I've been dealing with a lot. Lena's teething, Gavin's bleeding from his ear, and I'm not sleeping. It's all loads of fun.

Ok, so about the title. I had to take pictures of Lena, to try to get a head shot. A woman I know needed a model for a porject she's doing, and when the clients showed her what they were looking for, she thought of Lena. So, fresh from a nap, I took some pictures. In a span of about 5 minutes, she gave me a variety of faces. All cute, of course. And, the great news from that, is my friends clients REALLY loved her, so she is now their logo! Yay for my beautiful baby!!! Enjoy!






I'm not looking!

MMMM tasty fingers!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA?

Big Smiles!

pictures I promised!

So I promised pictures. Oh, and Lena had an ear check yesterday and she's up 1 lb. She now weighs 16lb 3oz. 1 pound is a lot for a baby. So, she's getting fatter!

Gavin likes to wear Lena's headbands. Daddy's not the fan Gavin is, but I remind daddy not to worry since the headbands almost never match his outfit.

Dancing with Auntie Molly. He's very good at it.

Posing, while dancing. I love that he sees the camera and hams it up.

Giving Lena a ride. It was truly funny.

Lena loved having her big brother push her, and he did such a great job of making faces, just like mommy does.

One of the shirts from Miss Loretta (does anyone know why we call her "Miss" when she was married?). He was not too happy with me for taking a picture and not letting him do it.

Lena in one of the outfits Miss Loretta got for her. Let it be known, that she is sitting by herself in all of the following pictures. Daddy's just there for mommy's sake.

I love the surprised face.

Such a happy girl. She has teeth, you just cant see them.

One picture of her sitting by herself...that you can tell she is. She's getting so big!

There ya go folks! Enjoy!

quick update

Sorry...it's been a while. No pictures today, though. We (meaning me, gavin and lena) went to DC for Kevins wedding at the end of July. It was a lot of fun, even though Gavin learned how to climb out of the pack and play. That meant putting him back in every night when I went to bed. Lena was also teething, so that was no fun. After DC, my mom, dad, and sisters came down to Savannah and stayed with us for a bit. Dad left after a day (back to work and all that) and the rest stayed for a few days before moving on with their trip. After they left, Lena went to her 4 month appt, where we found out she's long, and heavy. She also had her first ear infection (double, of course).

So, here's Lena's stats. She's 5 months now. She's got 2 teeth (had them before her appt). She's 26 inches long, and 15 lbs 5 oz in weight. She rolls only if she wants to, loves to rock when she's sitting on my lap (not really rocking, more like throwing herself around). She sleeps through the night when it's convienent for her, or she's not teething. She loves nursing, hates cereal. She's trying to sit on her own, and can for about 2 minutes until she starts to sway. She does pretty well at keeping herself up though. She loves to be held. I put her down, and no kidding she screams until I pick her up..then she smiles and laughs like it was all a joke on me. When she does let me put her down and stay down, she moves in circles and backwards, then gets mad because whatever she's looking at and wants gets further away. I, of course, laugh and tell her that if she just went forward, then she could get the toy. She doesnt listen.

On to Gavin. He'll be 2 in about 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not sure how tall he is, but I know he's almost 26 pounds. He's regressing in his speech, so we've been seeing an ENT for that. His tubes are fine, but they're doing a hearing test the day before his birthday. We'll see how that goes. We might have to do speech therapy with him (though that wouldnt suprise me, since both his parents had to do that too). He is way too smart for his own good. He "brushes" his teeth any time anyone says anything about going into the bathroom. "I tee? I tee?" is his usual statement. He sits in the big boy chair at the big person table, and thinks he's the first. He knows where to go when we go for a walk, he knows his friend's house. He knows what he wants, and he's not afraid to try and tell us what it is. Of course, when we dont understand, he's really not afraid of trying to get it himself.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot else that's new. I have promised my mom some pictures of the kids (they got clothes from Miss Loretta, and Gavin looks handsome with his new haircut). Those will have to wait til Gavin gets up from his nap.

pictures for Molly to steal

Molly told me to put up pictures that she could steal, so here they are. They are from the weekend of the fourth, and from a little earlier than that.

All smiles for mommy and the camera!

Eating a fruit twist (I thought of you, Cath, when he was eating that).

Pretty Colleen (Ca-een) holding a pretty Lena!

Yumm...fruit snacks!

TRACE ADKINS! HECK YA!

We really weren't as close as it looks like we were...I just have a really good camera.

All partied out...or as Russ said, "This is what happens when you drink too much!"

A sleepy Lena, with a happy daddy.

Lena and Gavin's first bath together. Gavin just LOVES it.

More bath time. I believe he was showing her his awesome bath crayon.

Explaining something to her. Just like big brothers are supposed to.

Gavin watching Lena talk to a turtle (see next picture). Again, I think he was trying to explain something to her about it.

Lena had a very in-depth conversation with the turtle that day. She was telling him all about how mommy was mean and made her be on the floor, and that her big brother is the bestest big brother ever..and some other things that I didn't catch.

movies

I love old movies. I've been watching them a lot lately. On AMC, TCM, anywhere I can find them. I guess it's a good thing that while I was in New York for Robs wedding, mom had me go through all her VHS's (since we have a combo dvd/vhs player). There were a ton of old movies that she had taped off tv, and some she bought. I've watched (so far): Cheaper by the Dozen, Bells on Their Toes, Showboat, and Life With Father. Interesting things about these movies. I've been watching them since I was little, but it's amazing what you notice when you haven't watched them for a while. For instance, in Cheaper by the Dozen (from here on out it will be CD) they got the birth order right. Janie was the 11th child, Robert the baby. However in Bells on Their Toes (BTT), they are showing Janie's graduation from college. Mrs. Gilbreth is reminiscing about life after Mr. Gilbreth died (that happened at the end of CD). She mentions that she cant believe her baby is graduating. The whole rest of the movie Janie's the baby, and Robert is older than her. Also, during BTT In the scenes where they show all the kids, there are only 11 kids. 6 boys, 5 girls. Very odd. I know they mention in CD that they had 4 girls first and then a boy. In BTT I don't know what the order is, only that 11 is a boy and 12 is a girl.

Next order of business. In Life with Father (LF) the second son (John) is the same boy that Earnestine (BTT) got engaged to after the summer at Nantucket. He was in LF first, so he looks much younger and much smaller (he definitely bulked up before BTT). Also, I didn't know Elizabeth Taylor was in LF...not until I saw it in the credits. However, while watching it, I hit myself over the head since I saw her and realized that I was being stupid. I recognize her. She was very young (the movie was made in 1947). Also, how weird is it that the father goes to an employment agency to find a new maid. He walks into a room to find it filled with women. I think that's odd, having all those women sit around waiting for employment. All together. Clarence SR plays a song on the piano that the older kids sing on the beach in Nantucket during BTT.

Now, about Showboat (SB). While watching SB, I realized the amount of influence that slave music played in that movie. There was a lot of gospel type music and lots of soulful music. Very beautiful. Also, while watching it, I wondered...was it worse (in the 1890's) to be half black, or a bastard? Julie (the leading lady on the ship during the first part of the movie) was the daughter of a black woman and a white man. So, that being said, she was half black. But, chances are she was also a bastard, since the races very rarely married one another. There lies my problem...which was worse? I guess being a half black bastard was probably the worst, but out of the two which was? (I would like to state for the record, that I personally don't think either is wrong, but there was a stigma that followed such persons in that time period).

Now on to Gavin. The DVD player is acting up. So, we've been watching the kid tapes that I got from mom. He LOVES Disney movies. So far we've watched Old Yeller, Hercules, 101 Dalmatians (the live version), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He loves "helping" me pick out a movie. I'll ask him if he wants to watch a movie, and he'll run over to the bookcase where all the dvd's are and point and talk..almost like he's trying to figure out which one to watch. When I go to the closet where the tapes are, he follows me and points til I get the one he wants to watch. Then he takes it and runs to the entertainment center. When it starts, he gets his blanket, wraps up in it, and puts his head on the arm of the couch. He's soo cute. He also dances to the music.

Anyway, there will be another post (hopefully tomorrow) with pictures of the Trace Adkins concert we went to on the 3rd, Gavin and Lena's first bath together, and Lena talking to a turtle.

pictures

Just a bunch of pictures.

This is what happens when you wake up at 6...you crash by 11...on the couch!

How cute is that diaper clad butt?

Surprise!

Big smiles! How can you be mad at that face (even if it was taken at 12:30am when she should have been sleeping)?

He loves her soo much!

He loves to hold her.

He loves to hold her hands.

Just too cute.

After we took the mattress out of the crib.

He didnt quite make it to bed that night.

I feel like I should do a chalk outline, maybe put up some caution tape.

After his first haircut.

During his first haircut.

Funny story. We took the kids to the doctor today. Gavin needed his 18mo shots, and we needed to get acid reflux stuff for Lena. While we were there, I noticed a bump on Lena's thumb, and it looked like it had a piece of hair in it. So, I asked the doctor. She looked at it, and kinda messed with it a bit. Lena, naturally, starts crying. Gavin, seeing that his precious baby sister is crying and in distress, starts SCREAMING. I mean all out histerics. Tears and snot rolling down his face, pointing at his poor baby sister. I was holding Lena, looking at Gavin telling him it was ok, the doctor isnt hurting her! I promise! Now, I know Gavin loves his sister (as above photos show). I guess I didnt realize how MUCH he loves her until today. He really was very upset that the mean doctor was making her cry. He's better, and so is she (from that at least).

a week of firsts

It was a week of firsts around here. Monday, I decided I would give Gavin his first haircut. His hair was starting to look ragged along his neck, so it was time. He did awesome! It took a minute or two to figure out what I could give him so he would sit still. Goldfish? No. A comb (which he loves, since he "brushes" his own hair). No. A notebook and pen? Only the best for my boy! Haha. He started getting a little ansy towards the end, so the left side by his ear doesnt look nearly as nice as the right or the back, but oh well. After the haircut, Gavin had his bath, where he played with his bath crayons. We made the right choice on those, let me tell you. Anyway, for some reason, Gavin didnt want to go to bed that night. So, Russ puts him down, and he screams. More screaming. Still more screaming. Screaming just got louder (not in a hurt way, but in a "i just moved closer to you" way). Russ and I jump off the couch. By the time we got to his door, we heard the sound of the door stopper twanging on the other side of the door. My reaction? "Oh no...please tell me he didnt just climb out of his crib". He did. He got a little bruise under his eye, and he busted his lip. I still cant figure out how he got out of the crib while screaming, and we never heard him. Didnt hear him fall, or anything. So, we pulled the mattress out of his crib and put it on the floor. I have pictures of that first night after he fell asleep, and it looks like a crime scene photo. I havent uploaded them, but I will post them as soon as I do.

Oh, and Gavin now climbs the living room furniture, and the folding chairs. Oh, and today, he decided he wanted on the coffee table, so he stood on one of his ride on toys (that has a steering wheel) to achieve that goal. I've got my hands full with that one.

Now, onto Lena. Tuesday, my one-month old baby rolled over. Rolled over! At one month! She's not supposed to do that yet! Then, on Wednesday, she smiled at me when I was talking to her. She's going to be an early bloomer, I guess. When she's Gavins age, it's going to be bad.

I'm almost afraid of what's next. Who's going to do what new next? Will Lena sit at 2 months and crawl at 3? I mean, seriously. Cut mommy some slack, would you guys? Dont do everything in the same week, next time, at least.

I got it!

So, while doing some unpacking yesterday, my wonderful wonderful husband found the cord that goes from the camera to the computer. So, I uploaded all the software I needed, and here we are! I finally got the vidoes on the computer! Yay! So here we go, I finally have the one of Gavin that I promised Joni however long ago. It's kinda long, but it's worth the watch. Oh, and the part that Lena is in, that's my arm, not something else. Enjoy!

videos

Ok, so I told Joni I would post a video of Gavin talking. I finally got the video, but I cant figure out how to get it off the SD card onto the computer. And, I cant fing the cord that goes from camera to computer. I have no idea where the movers packed it (as with most of the household items, like baby moniter reciever). They werent very good. Not going to go there..unpleasant subject. Anyway, anyone got any ideas?

Easter weekend

So, Kevin and Celeste came down for Easter this year. I got to meet Celeste, and I absolutely LOVE her! She's perfect for Kevin...balances him out very nicely. Anyway, we got to hang out with them, and go to Tybee Island, and whatnot. They went to church with me, where we found out that the priest at Hunter's church is from Rochester originally. His first assignment when he became a priest was at Sacred Heart. After church, we had Easter lunch (so Kevin and Celeste could hit the road back to DC), and Steve and Colleen joined us for that. It was a lot of fun. Lots of talking and lots of laughter!

Ok, so not technically the weekend, but still a very cute picture of a clearer-faced baby.

Gavin REALLY wanted to play with the toys that were over there, and Celeste kept thwarting him!

But, it's ok...he found a hole instead (it even had WATER in it! How exciting!).

Kevin and Celeste being themselves...very cute..

Since I failed miserably at getting a picture of Lena at the beach the first time she was there, I made sure I got one the second trip. Do you know how many dirty looks I got while sitting there? It's like people expect that since I had a baby, I should be holed up in the house with said baby. Ugh!

Easter morning. Gavin's first Easter basket. Notice his hand grabbing it? He knew it was for him...and knew it contained goodies. The eggs each had some M&M's in them, and then obviously those crayons are for drawing in the tub.

He was showing Celeste what he got...and it was a handy place to put the basket where it would be at his level.

He's just too cute in this one, so I posted it.

A "Family Picture" before Kevin and Celeste left.

Celeste will be a very good mommy one day.

The kids with their uncle and future auntie!

Kevin! Get a room (in a few months)!

Trying out his Easter present! He LOVED them...so much, in fact, that he threw a tantrum when daddy tried to get him out. So, we'll get him all dirty again today so he can play with them again. He'll like that.

She looks so good in brown.

The Carters dress that I bought on sale. It was her Easter outfit.

Colleen (looking pregnant, not that you can tell in this picture) in the first shirt that I bought when I was pregnant with Gavin. It looks really good on her.

Sorry for the blur on some of the pictures. I couldnt figure out what it was until I looked at the lens of the camera and realized someone had left a finger smudge on it. After I cleaned it, the pictures were nicer. Lena's not quite so zitty these days...it seems to be clearing up nicely. She's being a booger about sleep, though. Some nights she sleeps for 6 hours at a time (around midnight til 6) and then there are nights like last night where she was up for a while, didnt want to sleep, and then woke up every 3 hours. Sigh...the joys of babyhood. It's ok, though, Russ is still off today so I have help. Tomorrow I will be on my own during the day (HELP!). I will make it, I hope.