Random Stuff

Alex dances (bounces) every time she hears music of any kind. She still tries to repeat lots of words, but her most often acknowledgments are "uh, oh" rather she accidentally or purposefully drops something. She even says it when we drop things. The video below shows her dancing to the Spanish version of her toy. She was intrigued with the Spanish when she accidentally switched the setting from English. You'll see her say "uh, oh" as well. You may ask what she is chewing on...it is a piece of the leftover rubbery stuff that borders the fireplace edges. This is a mild take of her dancing as she is distracted by the "teether." "Helping with laundry is fun as mommy plays chase with me when I try to tackle all the clothes. Then, I get to ride around in the laundry basket...if only this thing had a motor."

"I've seen mommy use this a lot, especially under my high chair. She always puts her hand here. I can do it and help, too."

"I can stand by myself and even take a few steps, but I am so much faster crawling so I resort to that when I want to go far."




"Not only do I like to push the wagon, but I like to ride, too."

Anna Cate Update

Good News: At 9 days old, Anna Cate was extubated today and taken off the ventilator because she was breathing so well on her own. She is gaining weight again (up to 1 lb 14 oz) after dropping to 1 lb 9 oz on Sunday. The nurse said that she cried today and had her eyes wide open. We look forward to meeting her in a few days. Keep praying!

Surprise Baby

Chris' sister, Cathy, went into labor this past weekend at 26 weeks. Anna Catherine (Anna Cate) was born August 10 at 1:32 am and measured in at 1 lb, 13 oz and 13.25" long. Anna Cate is doing surprisingly well as a 26 week premie. To see how tiny she is, notice her daddy's wedding band dangling on her arm as a bracelet in the pic. She is on a ventilator, but breathing mostly on her own. Her color and heart is good. She is already gaining weight. Mom is doing well, too, after a long intense labor. Needless to say, Cathy is a trooper as she was in severe discomfort through the whole process.

Despite about three more months in the NICU, Anna Cate has tons of fans cheering her on and loving her already!!! Please keep Anna Cate and family in your prayers as a long road is ahead.

Play Date

Alex (almost 11 mos) and Nirvan (6.5 mos) played well together last week. Shockingly, Nirvan started crawling at 4 MONTHS OLD. He can pull up and cruise, too.

College Friend Reunion

College friends, Gina, Kristen, myself, and Souhaila (in order of pic: L to R) reunite together once a year for special times. This year we met at Gina's in Gainesville, FL two weekends ago. The reunions used to be lots of "doing and going" as well as hanging out, but with all the munchkins, we find ourselves hanging out more which was still fun, encouraging, and memorable. We did hire a babysitter twice to get away for some girl time. This year, we had 3 munchkins plus Gina 35 weeks preggo and Kristen surprised us all by taking "the test" while there showing her to be about 4 weeks preggo with her first!!! That made this reunion even more exciting.
Our gift exchange tradition at a coffee shop
Me and my sweetie pie
Gina had lots of push toys for the kids. However, the kiddos made everything a push toy!
Ha! Gina and I often checked our kiddos for poopy diapers. Well, Sable must have seen me check Alex as she not only lifted her shirt, but pulled her diaper back right before this picture. lol!
Clean up time
The kiddos each took turns being pushed in the doll stroller. They loved it. Here, Eli is tickling Alex.
The piano was a favorite toy for all
Pool time
Phil reading to kiddos
Eli, Sable and Alex playing
Alex finally got 2 bottom teeth 2 weeks ago. Just got this pic of them on our ride to the airport as we were leaving G'ville.

This was Alex's second trip by air. She has become an airport/airplane trooper. She looked out the window, played with the seatbelt and toys, read the safety instructions, read books, cried because tired, but most of all, Alex enjoyed making friends. She interacted with everyone and got lots of doting attention. The video is Alex and a passenger next to us mimicking each other...so cute. He had a 6 mo old so he was very patient and fun with her.