ten months

She was dirty because she had crawled on the floor at the automotive place. Still cute, though.

Her big sister distracted her from breastfeeding.

In her tenth month L did more gumming; she chews on things but doesn't have any teeth pushing through yet. She started saying Mama more, like she knows what she means.  As you can see from the pictures, she is more confident with standing. She'll hold on with only one hand. Sometimes when I go to get her from the crib she is standing. She loves to stand with her hands on something -- the closed toilet is a common one, so I try to remember to close the bathroom door -- and then keep her left hand there and hit the object over and over again with her right hand. The second I start to change her diaper, she always wants to twist and find else something to do (It helps if I put a small toy in her hands). She still lets me cuddle her, at least for a little bit. Sometimes I tell her, "you're my cuddle buddy."

the challenge

Three months can be a long time. (But not as long as a deployment.) I participated in a wellness challenge competition that ended the middle of April. The goals of this challenge were "to provide motivation to get in better shape, and to encourage good habits." Each person kept track of their own points. We got one for each daily task that we did, but we could skip one task per day and still get a point for it (only exempting the same task up to three times a week). We each paid ten dollars for extra motivation -- so that the three people with the highest scores could have a prize.


DAILY TASKS:


1- Exercise at least 45 minutes: Any pre-decided form of exercise that you feel confident giving yourself a point for. Time can be split into increments as long as there’s 45 minutes daily.


2- Water: Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water. No soda or alcohol.


3- Eat at least 2 servings of fruits and veggies: Fresh, frozen or dried are acceptable. Canned, V8, etc. doesn’t count.


4- No refined sugar.


5- No eating after 8 p.m.


6- Spiritual reading: At least 15 minutes.


7- Journal: Write in a personal journal or diary.


8- Gratitude: At least once, express sincere gratitude or appreciation to another. A casual “I love you” at the end of a phone call won’t cut it.


9- Spending: Track spending daily (write it down, keep receipts, etc.) and stay within a planned weekly budget.


10- Personal Goal: Any goal written down at the start of the day. (Dust house, write letter, spend an hour painting, weed yard, etc.)


#1 was a little challenging because I was used to exercising for less than 45 minutes. I had to get used to doing #7 and #10, too (well, honestly, #7 through #10). By far, the hardest were #4 and #5. I usually had refined sugar three days a week.


I'm glad that: 

• I was capable of doing all (most) of these things. I tried to manage my time well and do first things first, but a lot of times I did the goal, reading, journal writing, and even exercising after the kids were in bed.
• I really enjoyed getting back into writing in my journal (unfortunately I haven't since the challenge ended, but I will not let too much time go by without writing).
• I did feel good.
• I learned that tons of things have sugar in them. Or high-fructose corn syrup. Or both. 
• I will at least get back the $10 I paid.  I came in third place. I don't know how many were actually doing this in the beginning, but there were only three of us who stuck with it (kept emailing their scores every week). Congratulations to my friend who got perfect points!

as the days go by

{Some recent highlights of our life}

a funny face

She started choosing her clothes (sometimes the minute she wakes up, and sometimes more than once a day). She loves dresses, shoes, and being either a princess or Wendy from Peter Pan. Can you tell she had the sandals on the wrong feet?

the children's museum

Grandma Nene and I took the kids to the children's museum. Our three-year-old had so much fun; the other time she went there she was less than a year old. (I had left the memory card at home, so I could only get a few pictures.)

the scrapbook expo


I started going with my friends -- we missed you, Hillary! -- three years ago. We usually stay until midnight. The baby was able to fall asleep once I made her little world darker for her.

"the bouncy place," as Shboogoo calls it

We went with some neighbors. Three of the six moms were there; Mrs. M had organized the play date to give some of the others a break for a few hours. They had tons of fun running around. Then Mrs. M, who had paid for the kids' admission, let them each choose a rubber duckie, too.

celebrating Easter

Here's what the girls wore to church the week before. On Easter we stayed home and watched conference and made banana bread. I gave L an outfit, and Shboogoo two shirts and two Mercer Mayer books (L enjoys the books, too). The grandparents gave fun things to the girls and candy to Shboogoo and me.  

our wedding anniversary

Hopefully the last one spent living apart!

. . . Sometimes all you can do is just
take a picture and hold your place in time
as the days go by
the days go by
the days go by . . .


-Photographs, by Cherie Call

nine months old

I didn't remember to take monthday photos until it was almost her bedtime. . . . She loves pulling herself up to standing. When I ask her to come to me she always crawls over and puts her right hand out, followed by her left, knowing that my palms will be there to help her stand. She is still a good eater. At the 9-month doctor visit she weighed 15 pounds 12 ounces and was almost 27 inches long.