Getting By....

....with a little help from our friends. Mommy and Daddy are sooooo grateful to BFF Ava Grace and her Mom for watching Baby Bella during the funeral events today. All of the youngins had brunch together before Ber took Baby Bella to her house for some R&R. (Baby Bella managed to get all of the R&R - BJ and Amber? Not so much).

Social Butterfly

Baby Bella accompanied the family to more than a half dozen events to honor the life of Great Granddaddy Blythe . All in all, she was the perfect social butterfly. Baby Bella was sure to bring smiles and happiness to everyone she met.

I estimate that I walked over three miles at the funeral home as I paced back and forth pushing the Baby Bella stroller. Who needs a gym for a good cardio workout?

Baby Bella has now slept (completely) through the night, four out of the last five nights. I am talking 9:30pm to 7:00am. Wow ! Now THAT is what I'm talking about!

On the Go

This was a day of constant motion for Baby Bella and family. There was much to be done as the fam prepared to celebrate the life of Great Granddaddy Blythe. She was a trooper indeed - making as little fuss as possible during the daily grind.

Baby Bella and Daddy found an opportunity late in the day to take a stroll through Nana's neighborhood. We enjoyed walking in the cool evening temps while singing some Dottie Rambo songs. She may not remember, Daddy will never forget the moment.

Great Granddaddy Blythe

Baby Bella and family are mourning the passing of Great Granddaddy Blythe today. I know that Bella will not remember much about him from her own memory. But she will know and remember him from the stories and fond memories we pass down to her.

I hope it isn't bragging, but Skyler and Baby Bella are so extraordinary blessed to have a rich family heritage: Cain -Blythe -Blair -McNatt. Among their grandparents and great grandparents, we see four ministers of the gospel, a brave veteran of WW II, a great American farmer, and six strong women whose lives embody all that is good and decent about our world.

Selfishly, we would have loved to see Great Granddaddy stay with us a while longer. We know how hard he tried to make it to his 100th birthday in January. But our mourning turns to celebration as we reflect on his life.

Great Granddaddy and Baby Bella are separated by 99 years and 17 weeks. Perhaps this is the circle of life.

The Way it Should Be

Finally, Daddy gets to hold Baby Bella after three days on the road and two days in isolation with a cold. Sooooo thrilled to get to hold her - just want to eat her up. Baby Bella has been somewhat confused over the last couple of days. She recognizes my face but knows the raspy voice doesn't go with the face.

Can't Stop...

....Staring at my Baby Bella. Daddy returned from a business trip with a cold. Do you know how hard it is not to hold, squeeze, kiss, and hug your babies when you return? All I could do was stand over the cradle and stare.

Love at First Site

Blogging from Louisville, KY.....

Baby Bella has developed a close relationship with the Giraffe that sits on her high chair tray. They have started conversing on a regular basis, although she doesn't always agree with his response. We know this because she routinely smacks him in the head. You go girl!

Nanny News

Blogging from Louisville, KY.....

Nika is in town trying out her Nanny skills this week. According to Nika, Baby Bella has been a total snuggle bug - snuggling, laughing, and sleeping. Daddy sure is missing all of that with his little angel.

Hangin' with the Fam

Weekends are made for...hangin' with the fam. (If you said Michelob, you watch too much TV). Baby Bella had a most terrific and uneventful weekend. We did find, what we believe to be, a trace amount of cradle cap on her scalp. Hope not. Skyler had a big case of it as an infant and his hair came out in chunks.

Speaking of hair....Baby Bella is loosing much of her brown hair and it is being replaced by...you guessed it, blonde hair. Scroll back to the early days of the blog and you will be amazed at just how much hair she has lost.

Her eyes have remained blue and turned, almost, a deep ocean blue. The pictures don't capture the color of her eyes very well, but trust me, they are amazing.

Ballerina Socks

If you can't beat them, join them. Mommy has had little luck keeping shoes on Baby Bella's tiny feet. Socks that look like shoes....now why didn't I think of that?

Baby Bella Meets the Burrows

Baby Bella did some socializing while Daddy was away on business. Baby Bella had the great pleasure of hanging out with Nana, Great Grandma Blair and dear friends, Barb and Karen Burrows.

Now, Barb rarely goes anywhere without some home made dessert in tow. I didn't see any in the kitchen, hmmm. I wonder if Baby Bella has a sweet tooth? Couldn't, she doesn't have any teeth. Must be the usual suspect - Papa.

Lazy Days

Blogging from Louisville, KY.......

Some days you just want lay around in your comfy robe.

Bottoms Up

Baby Bella enjoyed showing off her new bloomers during tummy time. A bow in her hair and monogrammed bloomers.....it's a simple life for Baby Bella.

3 Months

Baby Bella turns 3 months old today......more things we have learned.

1. If Bella ain't happy....nobody is happy.

2. Experts write books about "most children" - Bella doesn't fall into that category.

3. A girl reserves the right to change her mind - what works today,

probably won't work tomorrow.

4. Little blessings become big blessings. We have one of each.

5. Daddy turns to mush when his little girl cries.

6. The first thirty days you are just trying to survive.

The next thirty days you start to become human again.

By 90 days you know you can survive anything - you're on top of the world.

7. Just because the baby sleeps through the night, it doesn't mean

the parents are sleeping.

8. Watching Baby Bella return a smile is priceless.

9. We have a talker on our hands - go figure. Cain + Bylthe = Talker. It's simple math.

10. Nothing is sweeter than your baby girl asleep on your shoulder.

Some days it feels like I have grown a new appendage on my left shoulder.

Proof

A few followers of the Baby Bella blog have suggested that I may have exaggerated her ability to cloud up and rain on the house of Cain. Here is photographic proof - the paparazzi caught Baby Bella in a full-on fit.

I must say, the girl comes by it honestly.

Doin' The Macarena

Baby Bella must have inherited the gift of dance from her Mother. (Daddy has zero).

Grandpa Turns 73

Baby Bella helped Grandpa Cain celebrate his 73rd birthday today. She made sure to dominate the conversation even if it was a celebration for Grandpa. Uncle Jim helped entertain Baby Bella during dinner and then Grandma rocked her to sleep.

Now I Lay Me Down....

...to sleep.

All Dressed Up....

....And to Nana's we go. Baby Bella was all dressed up to go spend a day with Nana and Great Grandma today. She is feeling much, much better.

Mommy had to bring out a new set of clothes for Baby Bella. It official - we are into 3-6 month outfits now.

Glad the girls are making a recovery - it sounded like a freight train was running through my bedroom last evening. Their stuffy noses making them snort and snore their way through the night. With Deborah on one side and Baby Bella asleep on my other shoulder - it was more like dueling freight trains at 2:40am.

BUMBO

Baby Bella does the Bumbo! A little early but Baby Bella is doing so well holding her head up that we decided to try her in the bumbo seat. She did great for short periods but wasn't too fond of the experience.

Baby Bella has a new favorite hobby - playing with her bib. She popped it straight up just as I shot the first picture. The girl has timing.

Our little chunky monkey now weighs 13.6lbs. We confirmed her virus is not the flu so we are hopeful she will continue to improve.

Chillin'

And it happened.....Mommy and Baby Bella have come down with an unknown virus - hopefully, a cold. We suspected it last evening, confirmed it early this morning, and the girls fought it all day.

Baby Bella is actually doing better than Mommy. Her breathing was much better during the day but she has become extremely congested again tonight. (why is it that you always feel worse at night?) She was just chillin' in her crib earlier tonight as I put her laundry away.

Mommy rarely gets sick so it hits her like a ton of bricks. She is fast asleep and under the influence of NyQuil. Pass the bottle please. :-)

Lights Out

How glad am I to announce we had a totally eventless day? No news is good news on days that Daddy plays Mr. Mom. The apple of my eye is now fast asleep - although, on my pillow.

Baby Bella seems to be a little stuffy today, as does Mommy. It will be a Vicks night in the master bedroom.

Inside joke for the Blythe/Blair side of the family - we are channeling Great Grandpa Blair tonight. Mommy and Bella are snorting Vicks Vapor Rub while Daddy smells like Icy Hot muscle rub. The family tradition continues.....LOL!

Lovies

Oh yeah, this is Mommy's little girl!!!! Deborah is nothing if not sentimental about lovies. And Baby Bella is showing an early interest in loving soft fabrics.

These photo's show her holding her burp cloth and drawing it close to her face. Check out the shear joy she displays while loving on and playing with her burp cloth. This is definitely Mommy's Girl. Can a pig lovie be far behind?

A Perfect Girl

Yes, I know, we don't achieve perfection on this side of heaven. But you can't blame me for taking a moment to reflect on just how perfect our little girl was on this trip. Vacations are always fun. Weekend getaways are always relaxing. This, this was a wonderful day and half getaway that was refreshing, relaxing, and very fun.

Baby Bella fits into our family perfectly. She is learning to love travel, adventure, and long rides with family sing a-longs. (And Skyler dancing with his seat belt attached - talk about America's Funniest Home Video.)

Lazy River

Blogging from Gatlinburg, TN.....

Baby Bella and fam made a quick trip back to the Water Park just prior to Big Brother starting 2nd grade. This was a special day for this family of four - Baby Bella was allowed to join us for a ride down the lazy river. She rode with Daddy in his tube. Hopefully, this is the first of many rides the four of us will take together.

Baby Bella is becoming quiet the traveler -she could not have been better for us. We would dunk her feet in the water periodically to keep her cool. I accidentally dropped her hat in the lazy river and discover she loved a cold and wet hat - so we kept the hat wet the rest of the day.

We will sleep well tonight. Apple Barn brunch tomorrow...yum.