Happy 10 Months Reese!!!

So we're a day or two late but our little Reese was 10 months old on the 27th....only two more months and she'll be one year old....where in the world did this year go?

Happiness is....

I've been threatening to do a series of posts called "Happiness is..." for more than a year now. Not really to anyone on the blog but just to myself...to sort of enforce the idea that being happy can come from any number of things.

So what is Happiness and am I happy? Well, these posts are meant to take a look into a life that is simplified to its core. Simplified to the point that a picture can speak volumes...the attempt is to show you what makes me happy and then to provide evidence that its the little things in life that make it special. Moments caught in time that are meant to be treasured.

Am I happy? Well...I don't really know how to define happy but if its coming home to my two ladies, loving them and trying to be the best husband and father that I can be.....well, you can decide for yourself. It's a tough job, but the benefits are better than anything you can imagine.

Happiness is......a little girl's hair blowing in the breeze.

Smooch....

This is one of Reese's favorite faces now...We don't know where it came from but she sure looks cute when she does it. The pic below is just plain cuteness.

 

Reese's first steps!!!

The YouTube link to see Reese's first steps.....

***Mini update...my camera simply wouldn't cooperate so I posted the link on YouTube .

Reese decided that there was no time like the present to start walking a little on her own.....so after her bath she came down stairs and while Daddy made her bottle, Kim was able to convince her to take some steps. One step turned into two and then about three....What a moment for Kim and myself. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry or just hug her. How amazing is it that we were able to get some of her first real steps - all be it small steps - on video. Our little girl is growing up so fast.

Bath time....

Every other night (currently) is bath night and while bath night used to be a little bit of a pain....recently Kim and I have been able to gather our bearings on this process and we now have a much smoother event.

About a month or so back, we moved into the master bath for bath time...Prior to that we were still using the tub and the kitchen sink. I mean the kitchen was nice when Reese was little but then she began to learn about splashing and playing with toys in the kitchen and we couldn't keep things dry enough. So after the bathroom remodel.....pics are still due and will come, I promise....we made the move upstairs and it has been a dream ever since.

Reese has always been such a good sport about taking a bath and now that she has little foam letters and numbers to chew on....she likes it even better.

We tested the tub the other night with the jets on and she didn't really care for that. What was funny as all hell was all of these toys just zipping around the tub and Reese sort of not caring about that so much as wanting to leave the situation behind.

Once we get done with the scrubbing and rinsing, we put Reese on the counter and I'll brush her hair because she's like her daddy and loves for her head to be massaged and/or scratched. I use my brush instead of hers and she just loves it.

Some serious contemplating going on here.

We dry her, put on a diaper, throw on the jammies and then dry her hair and then she is ready for the bottle and bed. She is so content when Kim dries her hair because Kim lets her hold the lotion bottle. I mean some serious studying is taking place with that lotion bottle. She's got an intense side to her no doubt......

Tons of updated pics....

Are on our other blog......www.ayearinthelifeofus.blogspot.com

Go over and check out updates that have been long over due!!!!

Changes around the house....

First thing I want to do is get all political for just one second...this is our blog and I don't normally touch on these items but I think it fair to note that today...the voters in Massachusetts voted to replace the late liberal Senator Edward Kennedy with a Republican that was never even given a shot of success no more than two weeks ago. Why is this important? It abruptly changes the course of the Obama mandate of unchecked power. Health Care reform....Republicans now have enough votes for a filibuster if significant changes aren't made in this despicable law that was about to be shoved down our throats. Keep in mind...this happened in the heart of liberal democratic country and this speaks LOUDLY about the change that America asked for when they voted for Obama....this was not what was envisioned. The people spoke today....In one small state in our union...the people spoke. Thank you God that we live in America.

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT....enough of the politics on the baby blog.

Our house has been a little bit of a mess of late....One reason, Reese is into everything. I mean EVERYTHING. Another reason, well....in an attempt to make the house a little more user friendly, we opted to move the office out of the sunroom and into our dining room. You see, we don't have a fancy dining room set but we have a nice place to eat in the breakfast nook of our kitchen. It's not so much a nook as it is just a small place to eat and our table goes there. That being the case, this leaves our dining room empty and void of anything useful. It has been the diaper changing station, play room, Christmas tree room, catch all junk hole...well no more. Its Kim's home office now and looks pretty sporty if I say so myself.

The sunroom/office...well that's Reese's playroom now. She is growing so much these days. You can just see the changes coming...her mind is working a mile a minute and she is investigating new things, trying new things, testing her body in new ways - standing, leaning, pulling, pushing, crawling, and taking an occasional spill over her new chair. Last night she went shoe diving and ended up going end over end out of her new chair but she never whimpered or got hurt for that matter. She is simply too much fun right now.

Our nights have been a little busy or I would post some pictures of the changes but I'll hit that Wednesday. I should also have pics available of our new bean bag.....The largest bean bag ever....in the world....big as a small country... And the new play table that I'm hoping will be a hit for Reese as she gets older. I put together the drawers tonight and I'm hoping to put the table together next. And I will force Kim to update the pic-a-day blog because she is simply a slacker and needs prodding from time to time....Love you Hon. (It's so red to say Hon or Hun instead of Honey isn't it?)

Pics tomorrow and better updates from the wife...I promise.

Updates!! And our Nine month check ups....

Our little family is back together now....aahhhh this week is over. Thank you Lord.

Early in the week Kim had to travel one night and then the last half of the week I had to travel. Ugh. I only slept next to my wife one night this week and that is no Bueno. Our schedules just sort of got out of whack and these weeks are a bear now with a little one.

Speaking of the little one....an early Birthday present arrived for her today.

We bought her an anywhere chair for the big transformation that goes down this weekend. Our current office will become Reese's play room...and the office moves to the Dining room that isn't really a Dining room. Because now, well, its an office. Anyway...Reese got home this afternoon and she played around a little and then went straight to it. I think this is going to be a hit...

What a face right? This is one of those shots that you get in between yawning, yelling, and jabbering Reese. She almost looks drunk.

Anyway, her little chair is just the beginning because her play table is on the way as well. The change over from office to play room is really going to be a hit for us and the rooms will be used to their optimum now.

Ok...now to important stuff.
At six months Reese weighed 20lbs 10oz.
At nine months Reese now weighs 23lbs 13oz.....above 95 percentile.

At six months Reese was 27 1/4 inches.
At nine months Reese is now 29 1/2 inches....in percentile 95

And her head circumference has increased by nearly one inch to 47 3/4 inches....above 95 percentile.

Her measurements are fine because she is perfectly proportional in her gains from newborn to now. She has been given a green light on a wide variety of foods if she'll not gag when she eats them and now the fun begins for Mommy and Daddy at dinner time...yeah messy food!!!!

We'll get into pics of the office transformation tomorrow or Sunday and cover some general stuff from the last week as well. In the meantime, I'll close with my little one asserting her will on some of her toys. I can just here her saying to some little toy in that pile....SILENCE!!! I KEEL YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Papa!!

Happy Birthday Papa...from little Pooka Reese.
From here.....

To here....

When we told Reese that it was Papa's birthday today...she got excited.

 

And then we ate some spaghetti baby food....we're getting closer to solids!!

 

It's been that kind of day.

Week one down...

Friday.....Thank you Lord.

Last Sunday I posted about the lack of desire to get back at it. This Friday....I still don't have much desire but unfortunately the companies that I call on could care less about my level of commitment at present and simply demand full participation. That's a fancy way of saying I've been forced back into the grind of sales goals and putting out fires.

The sad part of work versus vacation has been the time with Reese. I cannot wait for this weekend so the we have two days with our little squirt uninterrupted. If I leave the office at 5:30p that means I get home around 6p and Reese traditionally goes to bed around 8:30p. 2.5 hours......really? I mean seriously that's all I get? That is so frustrating that I can't tell you. I had better change the subject before I say more than I should.

On a different note...we're lazy and haven't taken down the Christmas tree yet and plan to do that Saturday. I would like to get out of the house and do a little shopping of some kind and then pick up the place a little bit. Saturday is Papa's (my Dad) 55th birthday and Sunday marks the passing of my Papa three years ago. It's hard to think of Dad being 55 years old but it doesn't make sense that I'll be 36 this year either. On top of the bitter cold this weekend it should be a good one so Kim and I are heading to bed so we're ready for the wild woman when she wakes.

It's Cold Outside!!

So....Reese is starting to look like Randy from "The Christmas Story" but isn't she adorable?!

News around the homestead is that it MAY snow on Thursday but our local weather folk are so freaking non-committal about the whole thing that this could be a sign that snow is going to rain down from the heavens in buckets or it could just spit random snow flakes. I'm wondering if the latter is less likely than the former because Atlanta weather folk are traditionally quick to dismiss light weight snow events but this one has been comical because no one wants to start the riot at the local stores......hey...thanks for making a random guess unlike the other days when you seem to hit it dead on.....Yep....We really appreciate the candor and honesty weather turds.

I can write a paragraph or two about weather(men/women) and the sorry attempt at forecasting with all of the technology that they have access to but they seemingly continue to use a Farmer's Almanac.....anyway.

I'm hoping for snow that is knee deep and wind driven!! Bring it!!

Back to normal blues....

Does this happen to every family?

That lull after the holidays where you're sitting amongst your family and friends only to realize that the countdown is on to normal again. Ugh...I hate normal after the rush of the Christmas holidays. It literally flies by and savoring the time is all too often forgotten in lieu of getting everything done.

Kim and I have been off since Christmas Eve...she had to work that day and I helped get things sort of put together for our Chili dinner...11 days later and I'm bummed because work starts again in earnest Monday morning. All the time that I've spent with Reese, all the time that I've spent with Kim will now be reduced to how quickly I can escape the grasp of the office and what we can cram into the 4 hours or so that I get with my loved ones each day. Out of a 24 hour day....I get roughly 4 hours with them...No wonder I'm sad about the holidays ending.

Travel begins again, Kim's Grandfather isn't well at all so there will be tough days ahead on that front, and sadness of all sadness.....football is over. Early January really bites. ((Sorry Dad....his birthday is January 9th so that day doesn't suck so bad)) I know that so much of this pales in comparison to Kim's grandpa on a sadness meter but I'm trying not to drive all of us into a complete depression so I mix in less important things as well.

This vacation time has been good for my soul. It has been nice to re-connect with Kim on the days that Reese stayed with the sitter. It has been nice to play with Reese for hours and hours and then put her down for naps and adore her complete exhaustion with her world. It has been good to pray a little more and ask for guidance without having to stop and start that prayer in between phone calls at the office. It has been good to enjoy the house decorated with love and lights everywhere in the neighborhood. It has been good to focus less and less on myself....and more and more on my family. This season has been good......

I guess my struggle is to keep some part of this season alive for a while. Everything changes back to "standard" so quickly....no more holiday music, decorations, lights in the yards around the neighborhood, the XM Holiday radio station is back to Love songs ((dammit)), gatherings, parties, shopping lists, cards in the mail.....it all comes to such an abrupt end. But with time....all things seem to pass and along September of next year when the weather starts to cool just a bit Wal-Mart will put up Christmas displays in an attempt to wear out so many of us with the Christmas season. It doesn't work on me....I love it. September through December are my favorite months and I'll have to say that this fall has been wonderful and now I need to shake off the blues of Christmas and get ready for Reese's 1st birthday....it will be here before we know it.

Winter has sent in here in Atlanta with no signs of mid 40's for more than a week....I like that....Snow chances are on the rise....I like that....Super Bowl and playoff football.....I like that......Fire in the fireplace....I like that....Hot chocolate....mmmm I like that.....Kim and Reese.....I LOVE that. Maybe this winter thing isn't so bad after all. I just need to set my mind to the best things and embrace the minutes that I do have to enjoy them.

I'm thankful for the time that I've had off this holiday season....I'm thankful for my job but I'm sooo very thankful for this time off.

Memories of Christmas 2009 and the fall season in general....

 

Happy pic....

Updates on the week will come later....'til then, here is a happy pic.