This has been a regular sight in our house for the past week or so! Posey had an ear infection and some wheezing going on. The dr. put her on an antibiotic for the ear and the breathing treatments to help with her cough. I just had to take a picture of her with this little mask on! I think it is pretty funny and super cute!

Posey fell asleep in the car while she chewed on this string. I guess it stuck to her lip and this is how I found her when I got her out of the car!

This is when Aunt Kelly braided her mohawk! She looks so different when her hair is laying down flat! And she looks like a natural with the microphone! :)

p.s. christmas pictures to come!

It seems like everyday, Posey is doing a new thing! On Saturday, December 5th, she woke up saying "mama, mama, mama!" She had said it a couple months ago, but only for a few days and then she quit. I'm glad to say that this time I think it's going to stay!

Just a few days ago, she woke up saying, "dada, dada, dada!" She was laying between Aaron and me and we both shot up and looked at her in shock! Needless to say, Aaron was beaming! :)

It is official.....she has started CRAWLING! It hasn't been mastered yet, but she is on the move, ladies and gentlemen! She has started pulling herself up on everything! One day, she scaled up a big brown pottery crock in the living room. She would chew on the edge of the crock and turn her little head around to look and see if i was watching. Later, I was on the couch looking on the laptop and i look over to see two tiny brown hands on the coffee table and then popo's little round face raising up, wearing a big grin! I cracked up laughing and so did she! :)

I love that she has a great sense of humor! It doesn't seem like they should be able to know that things are funny, but she really does get it! We are having so much fun making her laugh! Today I had Ace of Cakes on tv and Duff, the cake maker, threw his head back and laughed really hard. Posey was in her exersaucer and started cackling back at him! Funny.

Well, it seems like little Posey girl has just taken off doing all kinds of new things!

For Thanksgiving, we went to Kel and Dave's house and Nanny and Poppy were there. Nanny taught Posey to wave her arm twice to say "bye bye." She looks so cute waving her tiny arm up and down!

She is sooo close to crawling! She can scoot herself backwards and can maneuver from that position to sit straight up! So now, she is rolling, scooting, and sitting up! Today I sat her on the rug and the next thing I know, she was on the hardwoods, scooting herself towards the excersaucer. I'm really gonna have to keep my eyes on her!

This past weekend, we found Posey pulling herself up in her crib! We found her standing up with her little hands on the rail. It scared me to death! We still had the setting on the highest rung. I took it down a couple notches today so that if she stands up again, she won't be waist-high to the rail! whew!

somebody tiny learned how to clap yesterday :)

Posey's Wonders of the World (right now)

1. zippers

2. front load washing machines

3. clapping your hands for you

4. plastic bags

5. anyone singing on t.v.

6. ears

7. the piano

This video was taken on our epic journey to nc with the band. posey cried for about 2 hours and because of that, i was ready to scream for at least that long! A baby crying for that long in close quarters with nowhere to get away is maddening! We stopped at a gas station and I let her roll around in the back seat for a minute. I thought I would get the computer out and give her something to look at. She seems so happy in this video....I was worn out. :) The good part is that we made it there safely and had a great time! She was amazing on the trip home! Thank the Lord!

Posey spends the night with gramma and grandpa!

Posey spent her first night away from us last Monday night! I thought it was a big enough deal that I got the camera out! Aaron and I did pretty good. Posey did great! Gramma said she was "wonderful" and "so much fun!"

As Gramma and Posey drove off, Aaron asked me if I was okay. I said, "Yes.......are YOU okay?" He looked out toward the road and said, "I don't know." How cute is he?

In the end, we all did just fine and it was a great night off for Aaron and me. We went on a date and got to go to sleep without thinking about fixing bottles or changing diapers in the middle of the night! Thanks ,Jeannie, for a great date night!

So, the last week or so, Posey's sleep habits have gotten pretty bad. She went from eating once in the night and going right back to sleep, to eating twice in the night and being awake for over an hour. A few nights ago, she started eating only a couple of ounces in the night. This was not gonna work for me. I was really frustrated and I told Aaron I was going to go downstairs to get away. Aaron tried to rock her and feed her more, but nothing was working.

We decided it was time to let her cry it out. There was nothing else to be done for her and we were going crazy and i was super exhausted! So, Aaron laid her in her crib and left the nursery. I was still downstairs and we both just laid there and and listened. It. was. terrible. It was misery to lay there and let her cry! I felt anxious and sad. I finally went upstairs to at least be near Aaron so we could go through it together. We layed there and he said, "My heart hurts." And i told him mine did too. She cried for 54 minutes and suddenly stopped.

We went in there to check on her and sure enough she was asleep! We were soon able to go to sleep as well. The next day, we talked about the need to stick with it and commit to consistency.

I layed her down for her afternoon nap......she cried...................for 6 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could not believe it!

Later that night, we had to lay her down for the nighttime. She cried for 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!

We just canNOT believe how quickly she has adjusted to us laying her in her crib while she is awake!

I layed her down this afternoon and she didn't even cry! Unbelievable! What a great baby!

I can't wait to see if this will become routine! I can't remember the last time I slept through the night! Now that we have taught her how to sleep through the night, we are going to have to teach ourselves!

my favorite mia n posey picture! mia is a nut.

she posed for that shot. i love her.

i have a little catching up to do on posting some cute videos.....this is one.

poor thing, you can hear the rattle in her lungs. it's better now. :)

this is for Dave.

Posey is 7 MONTHS OLD now!!

She is really getting big! She can even wear some of her 3-6 month clothes! She is still mostly in her 0-3 month clothes, but she is growing!

Every time I pick her up from her crib, she pats me on my back. It hasn't and won't get old.

I feel like she has been teething for 3 months straight with no sign of a tooth whatsoever! Soon and very soon I hope to see a tiny white tooth in little PoPo's mouth.

She is starting to really like the exersaucer! She can reach all the toys and she can jump up and down in it. She has grown so much that I had to adjust the height up a notch. It kinda made me sad.

Posey can sit up really well now, too! She sits in a high chair at restaurants and sits in the shopping cart seat as well! She looks miniature in both....especially the shopping cart! Today she was in the shopping cart, holding onto the front bar and pulling herself back and forth. It was very very funny! Then she fell asleep sitting sideways in the cart seat! She's a good little shopper!

She can say "mama" . :) :) :) :)

She still thinks Aaron is the funniest person alive. I love it.

baby doll

who is a babydoll?

her breath smells like pralines and cream.

FOOD!

Well, posey has started eating rice cereal!!! hooray! she really loves it! she gets excited and grabs my hand to bring the food in faster! i know she is still learning how to get the food into her mouth, but right now she eats like a cat drinks. i will stick the spoon in her mouth and she sticks her tongue on top of the spoon and curls it under over and over to get the food! it makes me laugh.

another thing she is doing now is playing bashful. oh boy. it makes me grit my teeth. aaron will be talking to her and she will smile with her whole face and turn her head away. what in the world? it is way too cute to handle.

things i'm loving right now:

-she has to be touching my face when i start to snuggle her in to go to sleep.

-she plays with her toes when she sits in the bumbo seat

-she is so intrigued with feeling things. she touches and scratches on everything! (loves the couch)

-she has started talking in high pitch now. that might be my MOST favorite right now.

-she reaches out to grab and play with things.

-BABY EINSTEIN, BUMBO, EXERSAUCER

the story-- mandy and i snuck away from the dreaded cafeteria to partake in some delicious Cracker Barrel foods. i usually put an extra outfit in posey's diaper bag just in case she ruins her other one somehow. we were just going to lunch and heading back to campus after that. well, she really went and did it this time....she blew out her diaper and her outfit!!! i had to give her a wipes bath in the bathroom and then i realized that we would be exiting the restroom with a naked baby. i was cracking up inside as we walked out into the restaurant. it seemed like thirty people were going to check out as we made our way to our seats. i HAD to take a picture of that memory... naked baby in only a diaper and pink socks

look at that.

nancy, emily, andrew, posey and i went to traders point creamery and ate lunch at the restaruant there. em got chocolate milk....she said "you kinda have to get milk here." -cute.

these are four ladies who sat near us and offered to hold Posey while we finished eating and while they waited for their food. Posey was so sweet and just smiled at them while they passed her around to all get a squeeze. she is friendly.

little em and popo out by the pool

she wore shoes today. it made me chuckle.

wednesday, i was driving with Posey and she was a little fussy on the way. I grabbed a rattle and held it at the closest edge of her carseat. I was looking ahead and shaking the rattle at the same time and all of a sudden, i felt this little tiny hand reaching and grabbing for the rattle. Her hand latched onto mine and i just couldn't help but smile! It was so sweet. I cant' believe she is reaching out for things...it's precious.

Posey recieved a letter in the mail from Mia today. It was a picture that Mia colored for her. :)

for some reason,there were three items of food i justHAD to take pictures of this summer.

1. the BLT i ordered at sonic one night.  they put grape tomatoes on there because they were out of big tomatoes.  they were also out of lemonade, mozzarella sticks and something else.

2. this is the ice cream cone tony bought me. thanks, tony!

3.as previously mentioned in another blog entry..... this was my ice cream cone that i made in holland michigan. it was close to perfection....

it rained here all day today! i tried to get some house cleaning done, but i still find myself playing, staring and holding Posey so much! i am just having so much fun with her! I'm giving her tylenol for her teething and every time i bring the dropper near her mouth, she purses her lips together and makes that "ppplllllttttttt" sound. it is so funny! 

also today, she held a rattle and was shaking it to make noise with it. She was laughing at herself all the while hitting herself in the face with it. she would flinch at her own arms flailing around with that rattle in hand. she is a nut baby.

kentucky

p poc

aunt mandy.....she loves her aunt mandy

she is holding her bottle at times

this is xavier...posey's first little friend

they really liked each other...reaching out and grabbing each other's hands and putting them in their mouths :) it was so cute to watch!

snapshots from our week in michigan

this is gary pelsue's long lost twin, rob peel. he swam like a fish at hope college in michiganback in the day. 

happy posey in the jacket uncle davey bought for her the week it was in the 60's for the highs.

delicious

i made this....i think it is an almost perfect ice cream cone.

Poor little PoPo has started teething.

She has diarrhea with every bottle. I'm not sure if that is all due to teething or not. Bless her heart. She is biting everything she can get her hands on and drooling all the while. I can feel a couple of bumps in her mouth and i hope that her teeth will break through any day now.

On a personal note, I am so glad that our traveling will be coming to an end soon. I have grown weary of answering the SAME QUESTIONS over and over.

-"did you adopt her?"

-"what's her name?"

-"awww.....how old is she?"

-"where is she from?"

(And let's not even talk about cafeteria food. :( )It will be so good to be at home amongst people who do not think we are famous or celebrities. It is an odd feeling to be perceived that way. I'm just me!!!! Soon we will be back in a living space that has real furniture and privacy and days chocked full of routine and regularity. I won't know what to do with that.

p.s. mia lost her first tooth.....the new one is coming in and dave asked her if it had a name....she said "peewee". that girl is crazy.

Well, Posey had her 4 month check up last Friday! 

12 lbs 4 oz.

23 inches long

She's almost two feet tall! Ha! 

 In the last two weeks she has started doing lots of new things......

She can...

-Stand up (with our help of course)

-play the "ahh, ba,ba,ba" game with her mouth

-reach out for things (i.e. your face, her toys, drinks)

-balance on aaron's hands either sitting or standing ...scary but real cute.

Sweet moment: The other night i was laying on the bed with her and she was really calm and sleepy. I could tell she was ready to fall asleep so I started singing to her.  It's a sara groves song that i've heard a couple times...."and i have seen the most amazing sights/in my travels on the earth/moonlight hanging from the canyon heights and other things of matchless worth/ but next to you, all of the beauty seems so plain/ you would think i'd never seen a beautiful thing"  She stared right into my eyes the whole time I was singing and when i sang the last line, she smiled this sleepy smile at me.  mmmm....too sweet.

catching up

Posey got to visit with her aunt, uncle and cousins!!!! She also got to see Poppy and Nanny!! These are some pictures of the visit!!!! Mia asked how PoPoCoCoBean was doing? She also likes to call Posey, "Posey Jeans".  Posey was taking a nap the other day and Mia said, " Is Jeans still sleeping?" 

I really like those names.

Other nicknames---The Schwee Schwee  (Rhett calls her Schwee)

                               ---Po Po

                               ---Goo Ja Goo Ja Goo

                               ---Posita

                               ---PoSeeSee

                               ---PoPoZee

                               ---Pozeesa

                               ---Milk Dud (that's Kyle's)

Don't ask how we all came up with those! But it sure is fun!  

Something funny about mia: she wants to be rhett. :) It is so cute! Mom said that when the kids are pretending to do a concert....Jackson is Aaron and Mia is Rhett. She pulled out a little wooden game board that has knobs and pieces that move around.  She set it in front of her and "ran sound." awesome.

Mom was here for one week to help watch Posey. We had a lot of fun and it was great to have her around for a little while.  Posey fell asleep sitting straight up nestled into Mom! She sure does feel comfy with her Nanny! So sweet. 

Well, it's been almost an entire month since my last entry.....travels make for busy times.  We are having lots of fun! Posey is really chuckling now! She buzzes her lips together, tries to eat her hands and has started drooling! 

Tonight she lit up when she saw this other little baby. she smiled at him and then she reached out and they gave each other their hand to chew on!!! It was so precious! 

I will return with some pictures of the last few weeks! 

happy birthday to posey!!!

she is 3 months old today

i cannot believe it

She had to get an ultrasound on her hips today.

Her fat rolls aren't symmetrical and in medical world that calls for an ultrasound.

she was not happy during registration but managed to sleep through the entire ultrasound :)

i was about to bust but i didn't want the technicians to think i was crazy

that's also why i took a picture of her when we were alone in the room

she was so tiny on that big hospital bed!

i was proud of how good she did!

This feels good.

We had our small group over!

The pool was full of kiddos playing and splashing!

I got to sit by the pool with Posey and watch all the action!

We had burgers and hotdogs and potato casserole and salad!! 

Good weather, good food, and good friends!

and i can't forget that there were chocolate cupcakes and brownies involved. :)

These are the hilarious birds i spoke of in a previous blog........posey thinks they are funny. Every time she looks at them she smiles, giggles and talks to them. we will be keeping the birds.

i think i might actually leave the house today!!! Outing of the week up until today was Wednesday night rehearsal. i need to get out more.....i've been meaning to mail something since monday. pitiful really.

posey is still cute. :) she laughed at andrew last night. mmmmm.....more than i can handle. i love her.

wednesday

1. how crazy is it that i was looking for a passy in my purse the other day...

2. jackson told me he was bobby flay and mia was paula dean. they were working in the kitchen and it was the food network.

3. eli can pucker kiss now.

4. posey made the best noises last night.  it is the cutest thing how she loves her daddy sooooo much. her eyes light up when she sees him.

5. she is kicking her legs really fast now. :)

6. she thinks the birds hanging on our wall are hilarious.  Everytime she looks at them she smiles and giggles.

posey had a photo shoot with my kirsten today!!! i can't wait to see how the pictures turn out!!!! 

i discovered the second best chicken salad in the world (gong gong's being THE best).....stanley's new york deli on 86th and ditch.....it's a dangerous thing that it is so close to my house! 

gonna eat some bbq chicken and chew on romans 13 and 14 at small group tonight.

my favorite

maybe it's her shiny eyes, her duck lips, her sweet breath, or her thumbs

maybe it's her perfect face, tiny toes, or her marshmallow kabob arms

maybe it's the way she smiles at me every. single. morning.     or

maybe it's the way she stretches when i let her out of her swaddle 

maybe it's how funny she thinks her daddy is      or

maybe it's her chuckle

it might be how she feels in my arms or

every coo, cry, sigh, yawn that comes out of her mouth

it could be how she recognizes who we are or

how big she smiles when i hum on her cheek

maybe it's her hands always positioning themselves like they are ready for an olan mills photo                                                                                                                                                             shoot or

maybe it's how she purses her lips like she wants a kiss from me or

maybe it's how fast she kicks when i lay her down

it could be the edge of her lips when she is eating from her bottle or 

when she smiles in her sleep

it might be how she sucks her passy or 

when she half yawns and sighs

maybe it's her sweet personality that i can already see

maybe it's the thought of her loving ME or

maybe it's because she's mine....................................................