Pulling Her Socks Off

Baby Bella had a new obsession with pulling her socks off - and she is getting way tooooo good at doing it just before we leave the house. The camera documented this hannis crime while Baby Bella was doing the bumbo on Daddy's desk.

Tooth

Baby Bella has.....sprung a tooth. All of the hard work and pain have paid off with her first tooth breaking through.

She seems pretty intrigued by this new rough edge on her gum line. Her new favorite pastime is running her tongue back and forth over the tooth while sucking her lips inward. This combination produces something of a whistle/slurping sound. Baby Bella is convinced this is funny and adorable - she's right again.

The fussiness today indicates that she may be trying work another one through the gum line. Get the floss ready - my baby girl is sprouting teeth.

Daddy's Potatoes

Everyone has to be known for something. Mommy is known for her Coconut Cake, Janette is known for her Chocolate Cake, Grandma is known for her deviled eggs, Aunt Bessie is known for her Pasta......Daddy is known for his Roast and Potatoes.

Daddy cooked Sunday dinner for the fam - mmm - the smell of roast permeated the house all day long. And Mommy just couldn't help herself, she had to share her potatoes with Baby Bella. What a moment - Baby Bella eating Daddy's potatoes for the very first time.

Baby Bella was delighted with the potatoes, although she was positively afraid of the fork.

Too Much

Too much of a good thing is......still too much. Baby Bella had a great day hanging out with the boys - but it was all too much by the end of the day. She took her late afternoon dose of Gerber Squash and fell asleep in the high chair sucking her thumb.

Life if good.

Sittin' Pretty

Daddy came home to see Baby Bella sitting up. Yep, you read correctly. Sittin' up just as pretty as you please. (I dedicate that phrase to Granny Mc. I use it in her honor.)

It was hard to believe my eyes - there she sat, just like she had been doing it all her life. Then she looked up to see me and.......fell straight back and banged her head on the floor. Oops.

Still, very exciting to see her progressing every day. She does really well balancing unless she looks up or reaches for something - then Humpty Dumpty takes a great fall.

My Girls....Talking 'bout My Girls.....

My girls....My girls....... Ok, enough of the Temptations. Daddy is extremely excited to be headed home to see My Girls at the end of the day. A 1,000 mile trip ends with the most wonderful sight - From My Front Porch Looking In.

Wow, who knew you could mix song titles from the Temptations and country crooners Lonestar?

Mommy was excited to call with news that Baby Bella coughed very little last night. And the coughing she is doing is productive. Not that Bella is much help getting it out - but still - that is a positive sign and we are much relieved.

The Eyes Have It

Blogging from KY.....

Baby Bella showing off her beautiful blue eyes that she inherited from her beautiful Mommy.

Mommy reports that our little miracle is still coughing and hacking. Maybe, just maybe, feeling slightly better.

Eating the Pacifier

Enjoy this video clip of Baby Bella working the pacifier - her way - while watching football with Daddy. Baby Bella was sitting on the credenza while Daddy watched football and worked on the computer.

These days she will chew on just about anything - plastic, paper, cloth, wool, wood, her fingers, your fingers....yep, just about anything.

And yes, men can multi task! :-)

Bronchitis - Unwanted First

Baby Bella visited the pediatrician this morning to check on her runny nose, hacking cough, sneezing, and congestion. It turns out that she is laboring to overcome a mild case of bronchitis - in addition to teething. She put on a good show for Grandma and Grandpa in spite of how she felt.

Mommy made sure Baby Bella started the day with a pair of shoes on her feet and a bow in her hair. Baby Bella made sure she the shoes were kicked off by the time we reached the car. A 50% return on our effort......I thing most parents would tell you that is considered success. We did manage to keep the socks on all day - miracle in Spring Hill!

Can't Make It Up

Some things in life just can't be scripted. You couldn't make it up and make it any funnier. The House of Cain had one such moment today - thanks to Baby Bella.

So why is Baby Bella sitting naked on the kitchen sink? Glad you asked......

This will be Baby Bella's first Christmas. As such, Mommy is over whelmed with the desire to decorate the house - Christmas tree and all. (Yes, we know it's only the first week of November.) So we set aside Sunday afternoon to put up the Christmas tree and start placing the Christmas decorations through out the house.

Things were going very well. WERE being the key word. Mommy was delighted with the progress, Skyler was having more than his usual fun trimming the tree. Daddy was busy placing sleighs through out the house, and Bella......Baby Bella was sitting in her bumbo watching all of the commotion while listening to Christmas songs for the very first time in her life.

Then came Faith Hill. It you've ever heard the song A Baby Changes Everything, then you know it's packed with emotion all on it's own. But on this particular afternoon, the song took on a new level of emotion as we decorated, sang, and began celebrating our first Christmas with Baby Bella. We were all a little misty eyed as Faith belted out her timeless masterpiece.

As the song came to a conclusion, an emotional Daddy felt compelled to pick-up Baby Bella and kiss her on the cheek. That was my mistake.

Suddenly, the reverence of the moment was broken. As I held her close, all of my senses began communicating that something had gone terribly wrong. I looked down to see that this baby that changed everything in our house had had a diaper blow out while we sang.

What was once a contained blowout in the bumbo was now a full scale emergency. I was rendered paralyzed by......a leaky diaper. There I stood, unable to move without causing serious and permanent damage to the carpet. Mommy and Skyler were of little help because they hit the floor laughing after their first glance in my direction.

With all other options carefully eliminated, we decided to stick Baby Bella in the kitchen sink and hose her off. If only I could fit in the kitchen sink. Ok, maybe not.

If we didn't already know it, a baby does change everything -including the process of decorating for Christmas.

Feet

Baby Bella continued to struggle with teething last night. Nothing seems to offer relief - my guess is that we may getting close to seeing her very first pearly white tooth.

Thank God for feet! In addition to walking, they have become a fun distraction for Baby Bella. She actually gets tickled at herself when she finally catches them.

Baby Bella and fam lunched with Papa before heading home for yard work and house cleaning. Our little blessing was still fussy through the day but fell asleep soon after her night time bottle. Here's hoping for a silent night.

Through the Pain

Baby Bella was doing her best to smile through the pain of teething, but it wasn't easy. She and I have been up since 1:20am this morning. The teething, which seems to come in clusters, has brought on a recurrence of the nasal congestion and sudden outbursts of screaming.

This is the worst round thus far - our friends tell us it will only get worse from here. With friends like this.....

She did find comfort in pulling big brother's hair. At this point, he and I thought that was a small price to pay a little relief. Tomorrow is a new day. Lord, grant us the courage......

Too Early

Baby Bella was up a little too early for her comfort. You can still see the sleepy eyes - and Mommy hadn't yet had time to repair the bed head. But Baby Bella had fun watching Mommy get dressed and even played a game of "who can catch the feet" as the family rushed about. She has discovered her feet.

Mornings have become much easier and more predictable - we pause for a moment of Thanksgiving.

Rolly Polly

Baby Bella continues to demonstrate her new roll over skill at every opportunity. In fact, it is getting very hard to put her down for tummy time without her rolling over. The problem is, um, she is a little bottom heavy to roll from her back to her tummy. (Are you allowed to say that?)

Watch her hand after she rolls over - you can see her scratching the back of her head. This is one of her favorite pass times. Private note to Uncle Tim: does this look familiar? It's what I do during every round of golf - scratch my head and wonder - "how did the ball go there when I was aiming over here." LOL!

Good Morning

Mommy and Baby Bella sharing a moment before Mommy heads off to work. Baby Bella slept through the night - and I do mean through the night. No sharing the bed with Mommy and Daddy. Yeah!

We are now up to three jars of baby food a day. Bananas are the latest addition, but it seems they are her least favorite of the ones she has tried.

Sweater Weather

Mommy had Baby Bella all sweatered up for a crisp Fall Day. She seemed to really enjoy the toasty start.

It was rather tough to leave the kids this morning after spending 48 straight hours with them. Yes, they are in good hands but I still miss them every moment we're apart. It makes me wonder how Mom and Dad handled it when their three kids grew up and moved away. I can't imagine - new rule - my kids are not allowed to grow up.

Side note: This blog entry has been a team effort. Daddy is sitting in the office chair typing while Skyler is holding Baby Bella so that she doesn't fall off my lap. The drool is courtesy of Baby Bella. You're welcome.

Roll Over

What a terrific first to end this week of firsts. Baby Bella rolled over for the first time - and it was caught on tape. Click play to watch the videos. The first one is the roll over, the second one is of her playing with Hammie.

Joy and wonderment in the House of Cain.

First Halloween

Baby Bella was Buzzing!!!!! She really seemed to sense this was a special day - especially when Mommy was getting her dressed.

Papa and Nana came over for our annual Halloween celebration. It was so much fun watching Skyler and Bella enjoy themselves. On days like this, it really is hard to tell the kids from the adults - can't wait for Christmas.

Apple Sauce

You guessed it, another first for Baby Bella. Having conquered sweet peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots - Baby Bella set her sights on fruit. The smile says it all - the fruit is as tasty as the veggies. Should we be concerned that we haven't found anything this girl doesn't like?

The successful introduction of baby food has allowed us to cut the cereal content in half - finally. So far, Baby Bella is adjusting very well with little reflux. And her smile of gratitude makes feeding really fun. She has started opening her mouth when she seeing the spoon getting close.

First Tennis Shoes

Awwwwwww! Is it just me or have we entered a new phase of daily firsts for my first daughter? (Don't read anything into that comment)

Baby Bella was as enamored with her first tennis shoes as Mommy and Daddy were. The girl has it all worked out. Let the aerobics begin.

One Potato, Two Potato....

...Sweet Potatoes, GIVE ME MORE!

Baby Bella graduated from sweet peas and has now added sweet potato's to her diet. It was love at first bite. Of course, it wouldn't be fun if she didn't try to help with her hands and end up with sweet potatoes everywhere.

Notice how excited Baby Bella is at the beginning and how sleepy she looks at the conclusion. I anticipate her falling face first into her plate one day.

Nana had the great pleasure of feeding her Baby Bella from the jar - let's just say we didn't have to twist her arm. We really appreciate Papa and Nana helping out while Daddy is in Boston.