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Lovely little Lola isn't so little anymore. My girl turned one last month and is a full blown walking, talking toddler. In fact, as we speak (blog?) she is trying to climb on our coffee table. She surprises me every day with  new words. Some of her favorites are "happy" and "all done" and "more please." And yes she says them all clear as day.

Yesterday she pointed to a picture of my brother in law & say "Enny" (kenny.) Girl never stops amazing me.

Before you have kids, other moms will tell you "oh my kid is a sponge" and you really never stop to think of what that actually means. Truth is, you really only have to say something to her once, and its stored for life (so watch what you say.)

Another thing they tell you is how fast that first year flies, and you never can really appreciate that statement until you have your own. They're right. Ill say it. It goes so fast. 

And I can look back at this past year and say for sure, I didn't miss a second. There were so many times that I looked down at my sweet baby girl and begged her not to grow up. And I tried to take mental pictures to freeze her in my mind, just the way she was. And I ran to get her in the middle of the night when she cried for the 3rd & 4th time that night because I knew that someday she be 16 and I'd be begging her to want to be with me. I did not miss a second of this first year, I soaked it all in and I would not have changed a thing.

Im back!

What a crazy month-and-a-half we have had! We have been on leave (John's been off from work) for about a month and we were in FL for most of that time.  I have so much to say and dont really know where do begin. I guess I'll start with my husband finally being home after a year in Iraq. We have settled in to being a family very nicely. You really would never know he was gone for the first 7 months of Lola's life because she just adores her Daddy. 

Also, did I mention how amazing it is to have a little help around here?! Aside from all the obvious reasons I love having my hubby around, it's so nice to have someone to hang pictures, fix leaky faucets, open jars, reach the top shelf.. you know, all the things you take for granted until your husband goes to Iraq. John really is an all around great guy too. Not only does he work hard, but he helps me so much around the house with laundry and cleaning. I always have to tell him to stop and relax, and "let me do that." Im a lucky girl for sure. 

SO...

Lola is 9 months old. Yep 9 months. She is doing so many new things I can hardly keep up. She says Ma-Ma, Da-Da, Doo (Dog), Bay-Bee (baby), MAAA (More) and babbles non-stop. 

Lola has been crawling since 7 months, and more recently pulling herself up, holding on, and moving from one place to the next while holding on.

Needless to say - I dont workout. Chasing after her is enough to keep me exhausted by the end of the day. 

And last but not least our most important milestone of the last few months.... TWO TEETH! Yep, it was a long road gettin' em but there here and boy are they beautiful! 

At 8 months you were 20lbs, 27 inch and 100% perfection. 

And lastly, here are some pics from our family session.

Husband is home!

John has been home for about a week now, so as you can imagine, we've had such a crazy week. Some family & friends came in town for his arrival, and we made it really special.
He got in at around 12 midnight on Sunday. I dragged Lola out of bed around 10, and got her dressed in a cute little outfit I got. Could you just die? She was such a trooper.

We waited & waited for the busses to arrive. A band played music we all cheered. 

Finally the busses got there & everyone went nuts. 

  The troops all marched onto the field from behind the trees.

See him back there? He's the one holding the flag.

Then they marched up & got in to formation. The Col. said a few words, completing their mission. And then they released them. We couldn't find him for a few minutes, but finally, there he was.

And it felt so wonderful, to have my husband home.

His first look at Lola...

And a family picture...

I am so happy for this year long deployment to finally be over. My husband is such an amazing person, and I am so proud of him. 

I wont lie, I had some worries as to how the whole transition was going to work. I was unsure how he would feel, coming home to an almost 8 month old baby. But it all went so smooth. Lola knew her Daddy's voice from Skype and was so happy to see him in person. And John fell right into being a Daddy. The way he is with her just melts my heart. 

So here we are, 1 week later & life is just perfect. When you are forced to deal with such a tough situation, and you make it through, you really take nothing for granted anymore. John & I are so thankful to be able to enjoy even the smallest of things together. It is awesome to be able to share Lola with him. 

And we are just loving our little family of 3 :)

Relieved.

Saturday John will be home. Its been about a year since he's been gone and I cant believe its all coming to a close. So many people ask me, are you so excited for him to be home? And of course, I am. But excited just isnt the right word. Excited doesnt do the situation justice. Excited is best used to describe the feeling you have when you are looking forward to a vacation, or party, or something like that.  I think the best word to describe the way I feel is relieved. Relieved to know that I wont have to worry anymore. Relieved to not be doing this all on my own. Ill be so happy to have someone to share my Lola with. There are so many things that I took for granted when John was here. I surely will never make that mistake again. I so look forward to cooking dinners, going for walks, and watching our favorite shows on TV.  Cant wait for all that good stuff, and just to be a family. 

Lola is so looking forward to seeing her Daddy, this morning while skyping, she was just squealing and giggling away, saying DaDa. Cant wait to see how she reacts when she sees him in person. 

 And we are counting the days, hours, minutes till we can drive over to that field and pick up our missing 1/3.

And my girlie, she just keeps getting cuter.

Impromptu photo session

This afternoon I took Lola outside for a little mini photo session. Believe it or not, my dinkly little point and shoot takes some pretty good quality photos! Not bad for $200. Lola learned a new skill today, one we've been working on for a few weeks now. Lola claps! All I have to say is YAY and the girl starts clapping away. I am beginning to think she is left handed, because her right hand just kinda stays stationary while her little left hand goes smacking away. Seriously, cutest thing ever. Heres a vid...


So I scooped Lola up and took her outside today. It's so nice here in Savannah now, the humidity has just started to break. And believe it or not, the grass wasnt as buggy as I thought it would be, so I didnt mind putting her on it... Did I mention I hate bugs?

Check out the pics...

Also, we met Ariana & Ian at the treehouse on post today. It was really fun!! Ariana is one of the few people in the damn town that I can relate to. She is from Florida & both our husbands are deployed. Her little man Ian is 9 months old & is as sweet as pie.

You must crawl before you can walk.

Apparently not. I have a strange feeling Miss Lola will be walking before she starts to crawl. Today, I sat her down in her crib, just so I could get a few things together. I look over and there she is STANDING up, holding the railing. Really Lola... REALLY?

So you've probably been wondering what I've been up to lately seeing as I have been too busy to blog. Well, I was in Fl. Again. For about 2 1/2 weeks this time. Had a great time, took lots a pics...

Here is Lola & her cousin Trey...

These are two adorable little girls that my sis - in - law's, sister was babysitting. Caroline & Payton, and of course Loli in the middle.

And here are a few from the day we spent at my friend Jessica's pool. 

Yup thats a pickle!

I have a 6 month old baby

Well almost. Lola has learned so many new things in the past month, she just continues to amaze me as her little personality takes shape. As for her stats, she weighs 17lbs and is 27inches long. Still way ahead of the curve size wise. The doctor asked if she could take her picture to hang up in their office. What a sweet compliment! At around 5 months Lola learned to sit upright which has peaked her interest to crawl. She is on the verge of clapping her hands, and waving bye-bye. I have been working with her everyday. Lola smiles. Non-stop. She cries when I leave the room. Her hair is getting so long, and her lashes are insane. Seriously I am jealous. Here are some pics from the past few weeks..