Megan Turns 1!!

This was her reaction when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. What a cutie!

Megan had two celebrationsfor her first birthday. Her Granny and Granddaddy came into town last weekend to visit. We visited the pumpkin patch with them and Uncle David. And of course, they brought presents.

Then, on her actual birthday, Justin and I took her to the zoo in the morning. She loved it! She oohed and aahed at the animals and pointed at everything. She babbled as we walked along. Her favorite animals were the penguins and the monkeys. After a snack at the zoo, she slept on the way home. Here are some pics from the zoo.

Her first look at the monkeys!

At the elephants

Pumpkins decorated for Boo at the Zoo

The Great Barrier Reef aquarium

Then, Nana and Grandpa and Uncle Brandon came over for lunch and birthday cupcakes. Megan received some wonderful presents from Great Aunt Jan and Great Uncle Grady and all three great grandmothers. What a blessed little girl! Here are some pics from our celebration:

Sitting on the box to open her present

Cupcakes are good!

The Madness of Life

Contrary to this calm picture, the last two months have been filled with chaos. It feels like life has been flipped upside down and back again. We did get moved into our house and set up as much as we could before school started. However, our to-do list is long, so it still doesn't feel finished. There was a bit of a fiasco with some bedroom furniture that we ordered, and we still are waiting on one piece. So I don't feel completely settled in the house. The house itself is great! I love all of the improvements we did. There is plenty of space for Megan AND other people to be here. I love the colors and the backyard and the neighbors. It is a great place to live.

So, school started for both Justin and me. He started work on his Ph.D. (finally!!) and it has been challenging. He is in class on Mondays and Tuesdays (my mom comes to stay with Megan) and he watches Megan on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He doesn't get a lot of studying in while Megan is awake, so he is putting in a lot of late nights and getting up early to take care of her or go to class. I don't know how long he will last, but hopefully next semester won't be as demanding.

I was excited about going back to school. It was harder going back this fall than after I had Megan. She is so much fun right now and it is hard to walk out the door when a little girl is waving at you with a sad look on her face. But I love the beginning of the year because you get to start over with new kids and better procedures and renewed focus. Except this year I have been handed some challenges that I was not anticipating and I am not handling it well. I have 16 boys and 4 girls in my class which would be crazy enough, but I have some special needs in my class and the added stress is taking its toll. We just finished the 6th week of school and I just now feel like I am getting into a rhythm. It has been soooo frustrating and exhausting and defeating and it has been really hard to go to school everyday. I am taking it one day at a time and hopefully it will continue to get better.

Now on to the good stuff: MEGAN!!! She is amazing. She has adapted to me going back to school very well. She has her Nana on Mondays and Tuesdays, so life is good. She is getting spoiled rotten. Luckily she is already so sweet that a little spoiling won't hurt her. She had some diarrhea around 10 months that we think was a result of something I ate because it was only after she ate from me. So she lost a little weight. Then she went in for a weight check he next week and the doctor asked us to put a scoop of formula in her bottles just to give her some extra calories. That has definitely helped her weight. She has a little belly now and seems taller, but she is still little bitty for her age! The next week, she finally cut some teeth and they just keep coming. I think #5 and #6 are on the way. Then, this last week she started making some signs (like bath, drink, and eat). So our communication is growing. She is still not consistently saying any words, but I do say "mommy" everyday so she can practice if she wants to. I can't believe she will be a year old in three weeks!! She seems so big and so small at the same time. I can't imagine life without her (as frustrating as she can be at times) and she really is soooo sweet. She smiles easily, is climbing on everything, and is interested in how everything works (that is from Justin). She loves containers and cleaning (that is from me). Here are some pics of the little doll:

This a 12 month outfit - maybe we can wear it for basketball season!



Showing off her climbing skills.




Hanging out with mom.

Megan's Summer Vacation

For our Vacation in July, we took Megan to San Antonio. We stayed in a great hotel courtesy of Grandma Hutch. We were right on the Riverwalk, and even had a rooftop pool!



After San Antonio, we went over to Houston. Megan enjoyed playing with her cousin Austin!

SLOW progress

Well, we are making head way on the house, but it is very slow. Here are some pictures of the hard workers and the house that is still a mess.




I will put up more pictures later. The walls are being painted and the tile is being finished today, so the pictures will become more interesting.

The Remodeling Begins

We FINALLY closed on our house on Friday!! We put in an offer in April and have been waiting (rather impatiently) since the middle of May for a closing date. During our waiting time, we planned and organized and bought supplies to repaint everything and put in new floors. So, the past few days we have scraped off the popcorn ceiling and removed most of the floors. We are tackling the linoleum tomorrow. My mom is staying with us. We are taking turns working at the house and taking care of Megan. What a great mom!!! Today my dad and brother came over to help as well. Justin's dad is arriving on Tuesday, so we will have another set of hands working on our house. We are so blessed to have family to support us in our ambitious adventure. Here are a few pics of our "Home Sweet Home". Don't worry, I'll clean up a little before I invite you over!!


It looks a lot different (better) without the forest green carpet!



No more popcorn ceiling - what a load of work!!



And here are some pics of Megan because she is too cute not to share!!

Megan's walking

This morning Megan walked from the middle of the living room to the middle of the bedroom on her own. She was chasing Rachel. So, now she can get to anything. I took this video today to demonstrate how she is moving on her own. She is 8 and a half months old today.

To view full screen, right click on the video and select "watch on youtube"

Scooting, but not Crawling

Megan has decided that she isn't interested in crawling right now. Instead she does this little scooting maneuver over to something she can pull up on. Then she walks/cruises where she wants to go. Here is what we mean: (you can view it full screen if you want)

Megan Swimming

Megan swam at Nana's on Sunday in the little pool. Then she swam tonight at Lifegroup in the big pool. She was so tired that she fell asleep on the way home. When I put her in bed, she let out a satisfied little sigh...

Life with Megan

Could she be any cuter???

Well summer is definitely in full swing. I am finished with all of my school duties and am settling in as a stay at home mom. It has been an adjustment. I love not having to rush around in the morning and rush home in the afternoon. However, this is the first summer that I have not been able to sleep to my heart's content. That has been hard and made breastfeeding feel like more of a challenge. I am pressing on though. Also, with a new house looming in the future, I would have started cleaning out closets and packing and shopping for new things. I haven't found the energy to clean anything out. Shopping has really been browsing on the web - which is saving money on gas, but not quite as fun!! Anyway, the silver lining to all of these adjustments is my sweet baby, Megan. We weighed her yesterday and she is 15 lbs even. She is 27 inches long. She looks soooo skinny especially when she is standing, but she is eating and gaining weight, so no worries. She is hilarious! She has started taking a few steps mostly between Justin and I. She loves to smile and laugh. She definitely knows how cute she is and works it to her advantage (we are in big trouble). She will cuddle up to my shoulder and it feels like a hug. She is an absolute joy. Here are some pictures from our days with Megan:

Exploring new things

Bed Head (this is what it looks like after a nap!)

Drafting my first novel

Practicing my walking with one hand

Cheering for the Braves!!

Talking to Granny on Skype and wishing she was here!

Just hanging out with the best dad in the world!
(and grinning with my little old lady smile - no teeth!)

Bath Time

Okay, Megan was so cute in her bath tonight that I had to get some pics. Here are my favorites!

Cliffs Notes

I sat down this morning to check on my friend's blogs (something I haven't done in a few weeks) and I realized I have not posted anything in almost a month. So I apologize because I promised I would keep up with this blog after Megan was born. So here is the cliffs notes version of the last 30 days for the Allisons:

• Megan turned 6 months old!! She was 26 inches long and weight 13 lbs. 15 oz. at her appointment. She is a very happy girl! She want to walk everywhere (holding our hands, of course!). So we bought her a walker - it works better on the tile than carpet, but it still gives us a break from bending over and walking around with her.

• Megan is eating solids. We have tried avocado, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and bananas. She has loved all of them. She is so cute when she eats! She sucks in her bottom lip and looks like a little grandma.

• Justin, his dad, and his brother ran in the Seminary Stride - a 5K put on at the seminary every year. They all did great! Justin and his brother are planning to participate in a mini triathalon and a "muddy buddy" race later this year. Good times for them - not an activity for me!!

• Justin family came to visit the weekend of the 5K. So we saw our nephew Austin who is going to be a big brother in December!! Hooray - more babies for Aunt Rachel to spoil.

• I helped throw a baby shower for my friend, Jordan. It was a lot of fun and I was honored to help host the shower for her. She is expecting a sweet baby boy (Will) in 3 weeks. Yea - more friends for Megan!

• School has been crazy busy with end of year testing and unruly students. We had field day yesterday - it was a lot of fun!! We have a new P.E. teacher this year and her set up was fabulous. It is usually a very stressful day and this year it was fun and relaxed!
  

• My first Mother's Day was wonderful. My parents and my brother came in because we dedicated Megan at church that morning. Then we had a nice lunch and visiting time. We always appreciate family driving to us - we know it can be time consuming and stressful. Justin bought me some fun jewelry and a card from him and a card from Megan! Also, my brother got me a card which was unexpected and very sweet.

• Finally, we are in the process of buying a house. We are currently under contract. The inspection was done yesterday and the only thing that came up was something with the air conditioner. The inspector seemed to think it just needs to be serviced (the house is empty), so hopefully we will set a closing date soon!!

• 

Megan Eats Real Food!

We fed Megan some freshly mashed avocado this morning. She really loved it! The look on her face is so great, we have to share it!!

Easter Morning

We had a wonderful time of worship this morning at New River Fellowship's west campus (j/k). We were at the high school auditorium and there were at least a thousand people there for the 9:00 service. We love our church! Enjoy the picture of us on Resurrection Morning!!

From Our Family Easter 2009

The other day Megan wanted to snuggle up to me to take a nap. She had her arms as far around me as she could stretch them, and she said, "da" in her little voice. I know it wasn't really her calling me "daddy", and it was probably a coincidence. But, it was basically the greatest moment of my week last week!!

Lots of News

I was planning to post last week when Megan turned 5 months old, but time has gotten away from me. However, I have lots of news to share about the Allisons.

Megan was 5 months old last Tuesday. She does not go back to the doctor until 6 months, so we did our own stats at home. She is 13.5 lbs. and 24 inches long. Her head is 16 inches around. Here are some the things she has done this month (all amazing, of course!):

She is talking A LOT!! She babbles all the time and her voice is sooooo sweet. I can't wait to hear her "little girl" voice!

She is sitting up all by herself.

She reaches for everything including our faces which is incredibly sweet. She also puts her mouth on our cheeks, so it seems like she is giving us kisses.

She is finally in 3-6 months clothing!

She has had her first case of the sniffles. No fever, just lots of snot.

She went in the nursery for the first time at church. It was much harder on me than on her!

She attended her first wedding - Congratulations to Matt and Allison!!

She got an exersaucer and jumper which she loves!! Her legs are getting stronger everyday.

She is laughing a lot more - especially when she plays with her daddy.

We are so blessed to have such a sweet baby in our lives. It really does get better and better everyday. I was not expecting that. It makes the future so much more exciting!! Here are some pictures from this month.




In other news, Justin has been accepted to the Ph.D. program at Southwestern!! (and there was much rejoicing!) He is also waiting to hear from the school in England. Either way, we will be living in Weatherford for the next four years! As a result, we are house hunting (very exciting) and have found some great houses. So this summer will be busy with our new baby, new house, and starting a new phase in Justin's school. I will continue working at my elementary school which I am thrilled about. I love my job and I am so excited that I do not have to look for a new one!! Also, we have gotten plugged in at a church and love it. We are happy that we get to continue building relationships with the people in our life group. They have been a blessing to us.

So things are changing for us for the better and we can't wait to see what the next few months hold for us!!

Just for Fun

My friend posted this on her blog and I thought it would be fun! The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a mask. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Who's in??

Megan's 4 month stats

Megan visited the doctor on Friday for her four month check-up. She is 11 lbs. 15 oz. (20th percentile). She is 24 1/4" long (50th percentile) and her head is 15 1/2" (10th percentile). Her growth is right in line with what it was last time, so she is growing at a normal rate. The doctor said she doing great. Megan had to get 5 vaccinations (sad!), but she handled it like a champ. The doctor said she should be talking more and sitting up soon. We can't wait to see what the next month holds for our little girl.

Megan is 4 months old today!!

She had a photoshoot this afternoon...

From Megan 4mo 1

From Megan 4mo 1

From Megan 4mo 1

These are some things that Megan can do at 4 months old:
laughs and sounds/tickling
rolls from front to back
walks when I hold her hands
makes "d", "b", and "g" consonants
makes all vowel sounds
squeals for fun
reaches and grasps really well
twists around to look for people/sounds
laughs/enjoys peekaboo
loves mirrors
loves to put things in her mouth
plays with her toes
likes TV

One Year Ago Today

I don't know how many people know this, but one year ago today marks the beginning of our life with baby. I bought a pregnancy test on the way home from school and not long after, we found out we were pregnant. Justin and I had dinner at Chipotle and then, strolled through Babies R Us just for fun. It was a great night. This year we got to hold our valentine and enjoy her smiles and giggles. What an amazing blessing. And what a difference a year can make . . .