It’s been a really busy month, but a lot of fun. My parents are currently staying with us and I’m loving the time with them and the fact that they get to interact with Indi. Before my parents came down (they stayed with my older sister first), we all met at a cabin in Helen, GA for a family reunion. My sisters and their families and my brother all came and it was neat for everyone to be together. However, germs were passed around and poor Indi got an awful cold. I was worried my parents wouldn’t be able to see Indi as her usual self, but she’s a lot better now and has actually surprised us with how quickly she’s warmed up to my parents.
She is just so much fun these days. It’s totally weird having this little person follow you around, wanting to help you sweep, take clothes out of the dryer, empty the dishwasher, clean up her own toys, etc. Of course, everything takes longer to do, but it’s worth it most days. She’s learning new words a lot and she understands a lot more too. I’m just amazed at what little sponges kids are!
I guess I’ll have to get some new pictures up again soon.
And I’ll also have to catch up with everyone on Pleo!
So glad you are getting to be with your parents! Tell them hello for us. We are in Hungary with Marcie & Lee and getting to know our new grandson. We fly back to the State on the 30th. This month is going way to fast.
Wow, a whole year! And it is really different having a little girl around like that! After having a boy first who was not like that, I was not prepared to have a perpetual helper!
i know jeremy said y'all were trying to decide on a "theme" for costumes...this isn't the best idea in the world, but maybe it'll get your creative juices flowing...this morning i was thinking maybe one year we could do a "garden" theme...like i could be a gardener, james could be a bee-keeper, some of the animals could be flowers, and some could be bees or bugs... :) i just really like honey bees and would like some excuse to dress my dogs & horse up like honey bees. :)
I’m still trying to grasp the fact that my little girl turned one today. It has been a year filled with so many blessings, joys, learning experiences, frustrations, lack of sleep – one of the most fulfilling years of my life. I have loved watching and experiencing all of Indi this year. I’m am so grateful to my husband for working hard so I can stay home, and so thankful that God has blessed our family in this way.
Indi’s birthday party went so well yesterday! We had just over 40 people come to the beach and join in the festivities! Poor Indi clung to me through her entire party (except for when I put her in the waves) and cried during the smash cake event because I wasn’t holding her. Those of you who haven’t seen her with me…imagine a baby monkey and how it clings to it’s mother in the first months, being carried everywhere… There’s been times when I can let go of Indi and she’ll stay on me because she’s wrapped around me and holding on so tight! It’s ridiculous, yet I don’t know how to get her past this stage…
Once I held her, she got into the smash cake idea and started taking handfuls and SMASHING it into MY shirt! She finally did get some in her mouth! Her favorite part was the water, of course. She loves the waves and I think she enjoyed drinking the saltwater more than eating her cake! :)
I’ll post some pictures on my ‘baby’ girl’s 1st birthday! (sniff sniff)
I absolutely love her! She is the cutest thing ever!! She has definitely brought much joy to our family's lives!! Oh, and I tried to explain the cupcake cake to Grandma. I think once she grasped the idea, she didn't really like it. HA! Glad you all have had such a great past couple of days! Miss and love you guys!! :)
So cute! I think it's so sweet when a baby clings to there mama like that. It's hard sometimes with Isaiah when he won't let me get anything done. I just try to think about how in a couple of years he'll be pushing off of me to get out of my arms. it happens fast.
love the pics! that was so fun! so yeah...i saw that outfit and HAD to get it! too cute! it's probably a little big for her now...but i know she'll be cute in it soon!
Sorry we missed services last night! We stopped at the mall to have my ring resized and they took longer than we expected so we had to go close to home. Jeremy has my number if we're still on for Saturday :)
I'm so glad I came over - such a happy proud little girl who has a great mama. You too had to be reminded to take your shoes?! We actually drove all the way to Pretoria and arrived at the American embassy, only to discover none of the boys had brought shoes...
Last night Indi took THREE steps before promptly falling on her bottom. Of course by the time we started cheering, she had ‘fallen’ and so for the next five minutes all she did was stand and fall on her bottom, repetitively while laughing and screeching! Funny girl!
AND, of course this was the week we borrowed the video camera to a friend…we thought it would still be awhile before she ‘walked.’
Pretty soon I’m going to have to buy her some shoes (although I’ve heard that even though a child can walk barefoot, it takes awhile for them to get the hang of it with shoes on). Poor child will probably hate them, as I’ve never put any on her. I probably should have, but the ones that we’ve been given just never fit – she has weirdly shaped feet! I guess if I’m going to expect her to wear shoes outside, I will have to as well… :( If it weren’t for those nasty fire ants…
I never wore shoes growing up (well, except for walking into the church building and out of the building). Before we would pull out of the gate to head to church, I remember my parents would at times call out “everyone got their Bibles and their shoes!” Even went to school without wearing shoes, well, except on winter mornings when there was frost on the ground, and usually by our first recess it was warm enough to take them off. Although South Africa has its share of nasty critters, thankfully fire ants weren’t one of them!
Maybe Jeremy can start treating our lawn. Anyone know of some good stuff that actually works!?
None of my kids have worn shoes until they were walking. I'd heard the longer you can keep their feet out of shoes the better for their feet. We just socks when it was cold - if it was really cold we might stick a pair of shoes on them if we had a pair that fit.
Andrew didn't wear any shoes, except the cloth ones in the winter, until he started walking. Now he only wears them when we go outsides, I like his little toes to be free. It did take him a little bit to get the hang of walking in them.
I wouldn't bother with shoes until it gets colder outside. I always had trouble finding shoes to fit on Natalie, too. Her feet were really fat at the ends and I could barely fit them inside some shoes. They are a little better now.
It’s a little less than 2 weeks till Indi’s birthday so Jeremy and I have been finalizing details for her party. We have most of the invitations out, although not all – hopefully today though.
We decided on an evening beach party. The kids can enjoy the water without worrying about the sun and we’ll have some volleyball, soccer, and Frisbees out there too, for some fun among the older ‘kids!’ J Indi, of course, won’t have a clue about the occasion, but as Jeremy and I like to think, this is more a celebration for US, surviving the first year! :)
I can’t believe how much she has grown and how quickly. Although, sadly her hair hasn’t grown much!!! Well, and her weight too! I weighed her a couple of days ago and she’s only 17.8 lbs… Her pediatrician said we shouldn’t face her forward in the car seat until she reaches 20 lbs! What a pain!
I was on the phone with my mom yesterday and she checked my baby book to see what I weighed at a year. Well, she had me down at 1 year, 3 months weighing exactly 17 lbs and apparently not too far off average - but that was Africa and my mom said they didn’t have the percentile thing back then. I’m kind of curious what the average weight for a one-year-old baby was 30 years ago in the States. Any plus-minus 30 year olds out there who can check their baby books! :)
Well, Indi has me beat anyways, so I’m not worried, I mean, I turned out fine, right!? :)
Time does go by fast. Lots of babies aren't big enough to turn around in the car until after they are one. My sister couldn't turn her little girl around until 15 months. Emmeline, my youngest, will be one in a month and she already weighs 24lbs!!! It's funny how different all babies are.
Wow... I can't believe she's almost 1! I always worry about Lydia's weight, too. She's very proportioned, she's just long in weight and height on the charts. I've had a hard time figuring out why considering she was 9lb, 10oz at birth. I guess she's just going to be small. I'm sure Indi's just fine. As long as she's eating and growing, she's fine. But I know it's hard not to worry a little bit!
I do happen to have my health record from when I was a kid. My mom sent it to me to compare Andrew's height and weight to mine. At a year old I was 21.6 lbs and almost 31" Andrew at 13 months was 19.13 lbs and 29" Once she starts drinking whole milk she'll probably put some weight one, Andrew did anyway.
Indi sounds perfect! :) Liam is quite a big boy at 23.5 lbs and 32.5 inches long. At this point I wish he were smaller because I can't lift him or carry him around much.
