Saturday's Post

More computer issues caused this one to get lost. Lydia FINALLY fits into her shoes..... and aren't they cute shoes? We went to Chattanooga for a baby shower. Along the way gas prices were rising as I drove and gas stations were limiting patrons to 10 gallons or less. SCARY!

More interestng in person

You can't see it on film, but Lydia has been kicking away at her baby gym. It has an inflatable ball with a rattle inside so it makes noise when she hits it. The picture is sideways, sorry, technical difficulties today.

Thoughts on leaving and hopes for returning.

This morning Jen and I will drive home to Tennessee. I wish I had pictures of Maddy, Abby, Zach, Emelia, Fin and Lydia to share. I don't. As I write this I can't be sure they actually were all in the same room at the same time. If they were, I am convinced they were moving too fast to actually capture on film. With so many small children and so many plastic balls to be thrown, I might have been busy playing defense for Lydia, fending off stray balls and overly enthusiastic bounces of the bouncy seat. Mostly, I was too busy having too much to even think of getting out my camera.

Our time in Iowa was packed full of family and friends (and family who I am happy to have as friends). It was nice to drive to Iowa, not because my parents said we had to, but because we wanted to. It was nice to see aunts and uncles who once held us transformed into grandparents who now hold our kids. It will be nice to plan our return to Iowa to visit some more, see how the kids have grown, and to meet the newest arrivals.

It's WINTER in Iowa!

We left hot humid Tennessee at 3am on Thursday and as we drove north it got progressively colder. Granted a high of 70 can feel pleasant, but when it is dark... and raining ... and everyplace still has the air conditioning going... and all you packed were summer clothing, it was a bit too much for sun loving southerners to tolerate. So skip seeing the cousins, they can wait while we make our first stop in Iowa to purchase sweaters for everyone.

Better late than never

Not the best picture I have taken, but my mom started the tradition of taking a picture of Lydia each month with the same object, in this case a doll. We have a picture of her on her with the doll on her first day home from the hospital and again at 4 weeks. I'm a little late, this is a 10 week picture instead of 8, but week 8 was full of doctors visits and food concerns. By the way, this post is coming to you from the freeway, somewhere in the middle of Illinois. Lydia has slept most of the way and we are making GREAT time. We should be in Iowa before dinner time.

Bouncing Baby Girl

Lydia is FINALLY getting accustomed to her bouncy seat. I have been setting her in it for weeks now, but she just wasn't interested. Suddenly she has more control over her arms and legs and is now willing to sit and kick for a little while. I LOVE that she is able to entertain herself for a while. Aunt Jennifer and I are taking Lydia to Iowa on Thursday. Wish us luck!

After a tough week, Lydia and I got away to the lake with some friends on Saturday. State law says that all children must be in a life jacket, so we ordered the smallest we could find on Amazon.com. It swallows Lydia up, but will last for a while. On Sunday, PJ took Lydia for the day while I went to Boomsday with Jennifer. It was definitely too loud for Lydia and she and her daddy need to have their own adventures.