Happy Halloween!

Jack-o-Baby very appropriately spent her first Halloween dressed up as a pumpkin.  We are thankful for this year because she will never again spend a Halloween gnawing on shiny candy wrappers while mommy and daddy score some free chocolate.  We also found out our neighborhood has more kids than we thought.  Enjoy these pics and happy Halloween!

Getting ready to go!

Her perch on top of  Daddy

Our neighbor Aaron was a golfer!

"Trade you all my wrappers for some chocolate, Jackie!"

Little punkin

Happy Halloween!

Soooooo Big!!! (8-10 Months)

Heading out to the garage: one bouncy seat, one Jumperoo, one baby gym, one baby swing, one Bumbo, and one bag of bottles....  Inside the house, not-so-baby Jack is enjoying her new toy drum, books, and Tonka truck while sipping from her Camelbak straw cup (don't judge - it's her beverage delivery vehicle of choice!).  While the separation anxiety and intermittent teething continue to plague us (two bottom teeth already poking through!), we have still been enjoying Jackie's development immensely over the past two months.

A girl and her truck

Socially, Jackie is as sweet and outgoing as ever.  She loves other kids and will now wave and clap her hands (well, her "clapping" consists of slapping her hands against her legs) trying to make new friends.  Sometimes she'll surprise me now by giving wet, French "kissies" on the mouth and hugs without prompting.  She even begrudgingly allows Daddy to steal a kiss or two.  All kinds of new social "tricks" are emerging - blowing raspberries, clicking her tongue, smacking her lips, and raising both hands above her head to show she's "soooooo big" are among them.  Something she's taken to doing lately is squinting her eyes at people and giving a big, cheesy smile in hopes of befriending them - works every time.

Pool time!

Just chilling in a friend's hammock

Cheesy smile!  Can you see my two teeth?

Post-bath snuggles

Tuckered out from a long morning

She continues to avoid crawling, but can usually get to something that she wants by ambling around in a sitting position using her arms to propel her - it's a delicate balance to avoid falling onto her stomach, from which will quickly roll onto her back...and then she's stuck.  Occasionally she will cruise a few inches, standing while holding onto a couch or chair.  She's gotten very good at grasping small objects, and now prefers to hold her own spoon to feed herself or eat finger foods.  She will grab pieces of lint from the carpet and delicately taste them with the tip of her tongue before dispensing of them - smart girl. :)

The other day I took Jackie out for lunch at Panera Bread.  I was a little worried she might get bored and start whining, refuse to eat, try to climb out of the high chair, or throw food across the room.  But she was quiet and sweet, ate most of her grilled cheese sandwich by herself while I ate my salad, and entertained herself by playing with string on the window shade.  I thought about how far we have come since arriving in San Antonio, and felt very grateful for my big grown up girl.  Happy ten months!

Out to lunch with Mommy! 

Happy 10 months!

VA Trip

Some highlights from our recent trip to Ashburn and Virginia Beach, VA:

Happy with Grandma Stonehouse!

Quite amused by Grandpa showing off his dance moves!

Love my Grandpa!

Playing outside

Grandpa loves

Hanging out with Aunt Amanda!

Kissies

Visiting with friends Sue and Jakob in VA Beach

Staying with friends Victoria and Kayleigh - Victoria was such a good reader!

Girlies playing together

Friend Sara!

Friend Afton

So nice to see our friends!

Separation... Anxiety!!

We are in the thick of it...  Leave Jackie in the play pen for a minute to grab something from the other room, drop her off at the church nursery, or hand her over to anyone but mommy and daddy, and she cries as if nothing will ever be right again!  While it is nice to know that she's attached to us, it certainly makes life more difficult than before, especially when she's crying in bed instead of napping.  I wish I could find a way to communicate in baby speak, so I could tell her I'm really going to be back in just a minute...

In our time of Bible study, Josh and I recently talked about the "separation anxiety" that so much of us experience as Christians between the time when God promises something and the time when His promises are fulfilled.  This is when it's the toughest to wait it out and trust God without finding our own solutions to our needs or sinning against God.  I think about the Israelites who couldn't wait for Moses to come down from the mountain with the ten commandments and made a golden idol for themselves in the meantime.  Or the disciples who hid, terrified, after Jesus was killed, sure their Lord was gone forever, leaving them alone and in mortal danger.

Sometimes we feel we are in the same situation.  Let's be honest, we weren't wild about moving to San Antonio....leaving our friends....leaving our house....leaving our church....  But we know that God has promised that He has plans for our lives that are going to be good for us, not harmful.  This is when we find out...do I really trust Him?  Do I trust Him enough to have a good attitude about this situation?  To invest in a new church and in new friendships even though it sometimes feels pointless?  To resist clinging to a life in Virginia that I see with rosy glasses now that it is gone?  Do I trust my heavenly Daddy to come and rescue me?

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

6-8 Months

Eight months, and we are still living a life of leisure as Jackie has decided not to advance from sitting and rolling to crawling.  This may have something to do with her mortal hatred of tummy time....immediately onto her back she rolls!  In fact, I have not seen her roll from back to belly in months.  We have yet to find an object motivating enough to keep her on her tummy to do any real practicing...not daddy's phone, mommy's face, a chocolate chip cookie, a favorite toy, or a ridiculous amount of cheering-on.  If she sees something near her that is out of reach she stttttrrrrrreeeeeeetttttches as far as possible to get it or it doesn't happen.  She's a very strong little baby and has gotten pretty good at standing holding onto a coffee table or couch - she just needs one of us to put her there since moving toward said coffee table on her stomach is out of the question!  She can occasionally stand without any support for a second or two.  And her sitting...superb!

Splish-splashin on the front porch

Tasty toes!

Jackie seems to be following in daddy's footsteps as the family extrovert.  Unless we're getting close to feeding or nap time, being around people seems to open her mouth and bring her to life.  You may notice from pictures that she loves to stick out her tongue and talk - LOUDLY!  Charming though it is, it often occurs at inopportune times.......such as during church when I have to bring her into the service because she is crying in nursery...did I mention separation anxiety??  That hit hard this month out of the blue, but as long as mommy's holding her, she'll make friends with anyone around!

Love checking out Target!

You think it's genetic?

What?  Sun shades are toys too!

Little Miss Personality

Baby Jack has always loved music, and good thing too, since we're always playing some instrument.  The guitar will calm her even during her crankiest time at night before bed.  She also adores listening to music through our DVD player, which makes the TV screen light up bright blue - totally fascinating to her!  Sometimes I will swear she is "singing" when we do because she starts babbling in an extra-high-pitched voice.

Best things about these two months:

• "Happy dance" - she dances by shaking her head back and forth when trying to interact with someone and make them laugh - soooo cute!
• I thought it would have come sooner, but she's finally started sucking on her toes.
• Enjoying giving us open-mouthed, drool-covered kisses more than ever before.
• She is sooooo much more affectionate and will actually cuddle a little before bedtime now!

It wouldn't be a post without a picture of the Stonehouses at Starbucks

LOVE getting my snuggles!

Happy 8 months, big girl!