Florida here we come!

Lola and I booked our flight to Florida today! We leave in 2 weeks. I ab.so.lutely cant WAIT to see all my friends & family. I haven't really had a chance to show Lola off to anyone in person. Plus with Aunt Toni around, I will finally be able to get that much needed break. In case I never mentioned it Aunt Toni is my awesome sister in law/bff, Antoinette. She and her sister Noodle (and cousin buggy of course) are coming up to visit for a week. Then I am flying back to FL with them. I am so excited to see all three of them.

In Lola news, we had a big night last night. She slept in her crib ALL night. I had her Angelcare monitor on. Im not quite sure if that thing make me less worried or more paranoid, but I paid $100 for it so Im using the thing. Daddy is doing well overseas, he misses us, and we miss him terribly.
Here is my fav pic from last weekend! (Shes not really sitting up on her own, my mom is holding her from behind ;) )

Ideas that spin around in my head all day long

I've been racking my brain for awhile trying to think of the perfect idea for John's welcome home party. I just want this to be so great for him.  I know its not for awhile but hey Im excited ok? The more I focus on that light at the end of the tunnel, the easier it is for me. So I discussed it with him and we decided a BBQ would be best. I think Im going to try to rent out a clubhouse that has a kitchen & tv's and a pool. Its going to be All American themed. Id love to know your opinions on if you think its a cute idea or just plain cheesy. Here are some of my inspirations...

I know this is 4th of July themed, but I really like the flags, popcorn & strawberrys!

The thing I loved about this one is the lanterns. AHH mazing.

I definitely want to do old school bottles of coke. Also LOVE the banner. I think I can tackle that one myself...

We have a winner!

The winner of the free session with Brooke Logue Photography via Random.org is....
Lacie!

Lacie you have 48 hours to respond to this message.

Also... as a bonus, Brooke Logue Photography is willing to extend a 20% discount of the session fee to anyone who entered this contest!

Thanks!

3 Months Baby!

Im a little late this month because we didn't have her 3 month check up until today. We went to the doc. this morning to get some more shots. Lola weighs 13.3lbs., 25 inches long, and has a head circumference of 16" in diameter. WOWEE! I cannot believe my sweet little baby is 3 months old. Part of me is excited to see all the new changes in her, but the other part is heartbroken that she is not a teeny tiny newborn anymore. Lets not get things confused, I do not miss the 100 diapers a day, numerous night time feedings and overall inability to do anything. It is nice to have more of a "kid" that I can schlep around to Target and such. I put away her newborn clothes last week - painful. Yes I cried, and yes I will probably cry with every new clothing size. 3 Months is quite a milestone in my book, and she has learned so many things this month.

Lola, here is what you can do:

- This month you have mastered the art of smiling. You are absolutley the smiley-est baby I have ever met. When you wake up in the morning or from a nap, I hover over your crib as you rub your eyes and I say..."Miss Lola, are you awake?" and you give me the biggest grin you can manage. It melts my heart at least 4 or 5 times a day.
- You also have learned how to reach and grab for toys. A few times, while on your activity mat, I have noticed you grab on to the dangly toys and pull yourself on to your side. Please dont learn how to roll over any time soon. I am enjoying being able to leave you on my bed while I get ready in the morning!
- You havent slept through the night just yet. I usually put you down at around 7:30 and you wake around midnight. This is also known as Mama's work time. I feed you at midnight, then put you right back down. You usually will wake at around 4 or 5 for another feeding, and then sleep till 7. Not too bad.
- You are not a big fan of tummy-time, never have been. But you can lift your head up 90 degrees. You only last a few seconds though, and quickly get annoyed. I can tell your not much for physical activity (hm.. wonder where you get that from?)
- Your biggest trick for this month is learning to stand on your legs! You finally put your feet down on the ground and can support yourself with your little feet & legs. BOY do you love to look around from this perspective. Something tells me you are going to be an early stander/walkers. We'll see.
-This month, you've also found your piggies! Let the obsession begin. I tell you... "this little piggie had a veggie burger" You love that.
- You still love to snuggle, and you love when I touch your face. You know how cute you are already, the look on your face says it all!

Another Date with Ryan & Whitney

Today we did the Walkway over the Hudson. Its an old train bridge that was converted into a walking bridge just this year. All together its about 2 1/2 miles, which I think is more than I have walked in a long time. Lets just say Im gonna be sore tomorrow. I am SO out of shape its not even funny. Not that I was ever in shape, but having a baby your body just turns to... mush. So there was supposed to be about 6 ladies at this play-date but only me & Whitney showed which was FINE with me! We got the babies out of our cars and were ready to go. Only halfway through I realized.. I forgot the binky. What kind of a mother am I? Who forgets the ONLY thing that calms my child down?! Well we were too far out to go back so I just decided to hope for the best. So once we got to the Poughkeepsie side, we sat down and had some snacks, drinks, found a spider crawling on me, changed the babies, and we were back off to the other side. Cue the meltdown! I think this was the point when she realized she didn't have the binky and she pretty much screamed the entire stroll back. I am not looking forward to breaking her of that bink. It is her BFF (and in turn, my BFF.)

My husband is doing just fine in Iraq. We miss him more and more every day. I could go on about how this whole thing totally sucks, but you get the point. We only have like 4 1/2 months left. Its so close I can taste it.

Sweet Loli's first time in the big stroller!

Whitney & Ryan