Fall is upon us...

I wanted to continue where I left off. Labor day weekend was great! The next weekend Makena and I went to Rising Star for one last visit before Granny went to West Texas and it was also Rising Star Homecoming. The trip home was a bit nerve racking due to the rain and construction, but God took care of us and we made it safe and sound. We didn't really do much for Homecoming because it rained all day. Makena and I went to the business meeting with Granny. For those of you who don't know what a Homecoming business meeting is, it is a meeting that mainly consist of getting the homecoming committee together and honoring the 50 year class. Excluding Makena I was the youngest there by about 10 years. It was fun to see everyone. We took pics with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Barbara but Granny has them. Here are a few pics from the weekend. These were taken Sunday before we all headed out.

I thought this pic was cute because Makena is starting to put her head down like this like she is bashful or hiding.



She was having so much fun with Granny.

Granny was jumping up and down with her and she thought it was so funny. I wish I would have gotten out the video camera. Her laugh is absolutely addictive from her seal sound to her belly laugh.

Makena hanging out with Papa as mom was eating a yummy breakfast.

Cody (my cousin), Teresa, and Casey stopped by for a few minutes. Casey was so cute trying to pat Makena's head. It was so good to see them!

Uncle Tyler got rocking duty while I got ready to go.

It was a wonderful visit. God got Makena and I safely home and we were off to the races for another week.

On Thursday, September 17th, I was changing Makena on the changing table and I sat her up to change her shirt and she decided to prop herself up with her hands while she was sitting there. I managed to get Don to come in before she decided she was too hungry to show off her sitting skills for mom and dad. So after she ate I tried to get her to re-invent the moment but this is all I could manage to get. Just picture her arms straight and her not looking like she is going to fall over. :)

On September 19th, we headed to College Station to watch the Aggies play. Makena got to see them play too!! So this was her very FIRST AGGIE game. Here is a shot of her trying to hold her bottle on the way down there in the car. This is new for her. She is getting very interested in reaching out for things.

As we arrived at the stadium, Don locked her stoller up. Then we headed up to our seats.Makena's first game was good but she struggled through the first half. She was tired and all of the loud noice scared her. She and I moved up to the top so that we weren't in the middle of all the people and she ate a little and then took a nap. She did much better in the second half of the game.

I thought this was really cute. Hopefully Don thinks so too!?!?!? Makena and Daddy took a nap after Makena had an early breakfast.

NEW THINGS:

- I found Makena on her tummy in her bed (kinda stuck, she hasn't figured out quite how to get her arm out from under her yet).

- Yesterday, while we were at a work party, she decided she wanted a drink of my water in my cup. She took two or three small little sips. She was getting hungry so I think she thought it was her bottle because she wanted nothing to do with it today.

- Also, she has become a big fan of Riggins. She reaches out for him all the time. Riggins loves it because that means he gets to lick her. She just laughs when he starts licking her. Of course we have to let him know when it has been enough.

I just thought this was precious. She and I stayed home today as we needed to rest. She is also having a hard time with conjestion so it was good for us to be at home.

To all a good night...

Wow it's almost been a month...

I am shocked that some how I have managed to go a month without recording anything in the blog. There has been a lot going on. The end of August kicks off football season which is a fun part of the fall but also keeps us busy.

Friday, August 28th - Makena went to her first football game. She watched the Coppell Cowboys take on South Garland. She did wonderful through the game. She slept for a little while and everyone around thought she was the cutest thing every. One lady made the comment "I love those chubby thighs, they look just like mine!!"

Saturday, August 29th - Saturday morning brought more football in the Carroll house. Don's buddies came over completed their annual Fantasy Football Draft. I cooked breakfast for the guys. Makena joined Daddy in the living room for the draft. Actually she just slept which was much to the guys surprise since it was pretty loud. The girl can sleep!! She gets it honestly though...Don and I are pretty good sleepers. :)

After breakfast was complete, Makena and I went to Frisco to meet Dana, Jackson, Jenny, Colten and Caden for a little fun at the mall. Lunch was a little crazy but we loved it. Makena and I did a little shopping for the rest of the afternoon and then headed home. She is an angel!

Friday, September 4th - We headed to the Oaks in preparation for the first Aggie Football game of the season. Makena still travels pretty well. It was a long trip down there due to some traffic but we made it safe and sound. We hung out with Lisa, Michael, Maggie, Brad and Kate. On Saturday, Granny and Uncle Tyler came down because Granny wanted to see her before she left for West Texas. Makena stayed with Granny while we went to the game. They had a wonderful evening. They went for a walk, took a bath and had so great play time before bed.

Makena also turned 4 MONTHS OLD over the weekend! I didn't actually get pics on the 6th but these are from the 5th! HAPPY 4 MONTHS BABY!

Thanks Granny for taking care of our precious bundle. Mommy missed her a lot! Take a look at our little Aggie. She does have a Harding T-shirt too! But no ACU purple yet. I am sure Daddy will take care of that at some point.

On Sunday, we headed back to Ennis to spend a little time with Grammy and Gramps. We celebrated Gramp's Birthday on Monday at lunch. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPS!! Hope you enjoyed your hamburger. Happy Labor Day...sorry you had to work.
Granny and Uncle Tyler brought this big surprise from Papa. We managed to get a pic while we were at Grammy and Gramps.

Thought this was a cute picture of Daddy, Grammy and Makena. 3 generations! Hope Grammy's computer is still working after Daddy and Makena got through with it.

Tuesday, September 8th - 4 MONTH CHECK-UP

Second round of shots weren't any better than the first round but we made it through. Mommy cuddled her up and the tears stopped pretty quickly. It just breaks your heart. Stats at 4 month:

Weight: 15 lbs 14.5 oz

Length: 26 inches

The doctor said she was great and growing at a perfect rate! We have a wonderful blessing!!

Makena is laughing a lot, making lots of sounds, and rolling over some. She moves around and night. It has become common for her to be laying across her bed. She is also starting to notice us eating and is watching Riggins a lot.

Hopefully I'll get everyone caught up soon.

One special note for tonight Makena actually sat up on her changing table using her arms as stablizers. I tried to get pictures later on the couch after she ate (she wasn't going to wait any longer), but she didn't last as long as she did on the changing table. I'll post those pics later.

Where does crying come from..

As most of you know, Miss Makena is a pretty low key baby. She doesn't cry too much unless she is hungry. Even when she is tired she doesn't usually cry, instead she gets very wiggley and restless. However, yesterday afternoon Makena was napping in her bed and I was asleep on the coach and Don said she just woke up screaming. We were both a little alarmed. Don brought her to me thinking maybe she was hungry because she was chewing on her hands, so I nursed her for about 5 minutes and then she just started screaming. We were very surprised by the cries. I checked her arms and legs to make sure I wasn't squeezing them, but couldn't find anything that looked like it was hurt. Meanwhile she was still not happy. I stood up to walk around and she seemed to quit. We finally figured out it was probably gas. I layed her down on her tummy across my lap and some of the gas released. Then this came next.

She was out like this for a couple of hours and so was I. :) She is so precious!!

Also over the weekend Makena got to meet her great Aunt Nancee and cousins Monica and Sydney. I managed to miss pics of Monica and Sydney because I was trying to get Makena to laugh/smile.

On Saturday night, we all went to Jack and Jenny's so Don, Jack and Brad could celebrate 20 years together. 20 Years ago this month they started what has proven to be a wonderful friendship all courtesy of ACUs "Big Purple". God's hand was definitely in the making of this bond. Happy Anniversay you guys...I think you would be getting China this year. I think I might make it Chinette instead. Jenny and I finally got to take some pics of the little ones together. Here are pics of Makena and her buddy Caden. Caden is about 7 weeks younger than Makena.

Also, on a development note. Makena still loves to

- stand with our assistance

- put her toys in her mouth. She is getting close to be able to put her pacifer back in her mouth by herself.

- get distracted while eating. That just started the last couple of days.

- paint. She made her first painting at school. (The Muddy Piggy) Teacher said she along with all the other little ones did not like the brown (mud) paint. Evidently they don't like the gritty sand particles in the brown paint. Maybe she is going to be an artist some day. (that is certainly not in her genes but I am sure she would be fabulous!)

Also, this last week Makena spent the evening with Daddy (without me, I was at work late). Don fed her and put her to bed all by himself. What a wonderful husband and daddy! She was sleeping peacefully when I got home.

Congrats Uncle Marcus & Happy Birthday Grammy and Jackie

Last weekend was very busy. On Friday night we went to the church to help with the Packs and Pencils organization night. Basically we got to set up back packs and school supplies for kids. It was a great night to spend with our Christian brothers and sisters getting things ready to help out some kids that needed school supplies. We heard that Saturday went great! The church gave away over 350 back packs and hopefully opened a lot of doors for God to work through.
Thanks Matt and Jennifer for all you did for this effort along with everyone else. Thanks Grammy for coming to hang out with Makena while Don and I worked!! She had a blast.

On Saturday, we got to spend time with the Carrolls and celebrate with Uncle Marcus. He graduated with his Masters in Information Systems from Tarleton. Congrats Uncle Marcus. I hope to steal some pics from Amanda to post of Makena and Uncle Marcus, since we did not get any. Don made some video but no pics. After a little pizza and cake, Don, Makena and I traveled back home to meet Granny and Papa. They stayed with us on Saturday night and we took them to the airport on Sunday after we all went to church. They were headed to Vegas for a little vacation.

This week has been exhausting. I am not sure if it is the short nights or crazy interrupted nights or both. Makena had a few nights of getting up once or twice a night. I also had a long day at work on Wednesday (13 hours or something). Don did a great job taking care of Makena. He fed her and put her to bed like an old pro! Yea Daddy!!!

Tonight I picked up Granny and Papa at the airport and then we went and picked up Makena from school. Makena was all smiles for a little while and then she fell into the milk coma. After dinner, Granny gave Makena a bath and then she headed to bed (makena that is). They will go home some time tomorrow. It was fabulous to have them.

Also we wanted to wish both GRAMMY and JACKIE a HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!

3 Months and Makena finds her voice

This week has been a busy week. Last weekend was spent in Rising Star with Granny and Papa (this name is ever changing...I guess Makena will be the judge). We got there late Friday night and hung out for a little while before bed time. On Saturday we just hung out around the house and then went to Abilene to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate Tyler and Dad's birthday. We went ran a couple of errands and then headed back home. We played Ticket to Ride. I think I scored the all time low score! On Sunday we went to church and then went to Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bobby's for lunch with the Chambers crew. Here is Granny, Papa, and Makena on Sunday morning before church.Lisa, Weston, and Driston spending time with Makena.April with Makena. She loves all of her family!!This week was Mommy's first full week back to work and Makena turned 3 MONTHS OLD!! On her 3 month birthday Makena spent it with Mommy at a girls night with the ladies from Wednesday night bible study. Little Heidi Gscheidle and Makena got to spend time with the ladies. It was great even though we were delayed getting there due to a late feeding. She actually ended up not eating and sleeping instead. On Friday Makena started to experience some congestion. Only one week at school and we have a runny nose, but maybe she would have gotten it anyways. She is still sleeping and eating ok so hopefully it doesn't get any worse. Another milestone this week includes Miss Makena finding her voice. She really has a voice and has lots of very distinct ooo's and ah's. She seems to be telling her own little story. I also haven't mentioned this before but she loves to stand (with support of course). Seems to be something that some babies don't develop until later but she has been doing it a lot. She likes to put a little weight on her feet. She is still pretty laid back, but there is some pretty intense screaming from time to time. We love watching her change and grow. It is happening so fast!Saturday (the 8th) was a busy day. We went to a Sip and See for Heidi G and then off to Colten's birthday party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLTEN!!Gramps, Grammy, Aunt Rebecca, Colten, Uncle Glenn, Makena, Daddy and Mommy.Makena and Grammy hanging out after the birthday party.

First Day of School

For all you hunters out there...Daddy, Uncle T, Papa, Gramps...i could go on and on...

Here is proof that she rolled over...

Step 1 get on my side.

Step 2 get some momentum.

Step 3 keep trying.

Step 4 Big Finish!! Now I just have to figure out how to get my arm out from under me. (PS. this was during diper free time, but I tried to cover her little tush for pics)

Makena woke up this morning (as did I) to the very loud booming thunder and bright lightening. We got quite a bit of rain this morning along with the rest of the metro area. Praise God! Hopefully Rising Star did to that is unless Dad's hay is on the ground...then I hope they didn't. :)

Makena was a happy little girl when I got her out of her bed but very quickly realized it had been 8 hours since she ate last. She was hungry!

Makena's first day of school went better than I expected. I was very sad to leave her but her teachers said she did just great. She ate well and slept really good. They reported that she spent the day getting to know her new teachers. Everyone at her new school just loved her. How can you not love a perfect baby?!? :) She is in a class of 8 girls plus 2-4 female teachers. I have a feeling there is going to be lots of drama in that class. All the girls seemed very sweet. Makena is now second to youngest in the class. I picked her up a little early because I couldn't really do much at work today because I didn't have access to my email. She was eating when I get there. Lori (her teacher) was feeding her. Lori said she hadn't even spit up today which is very unlike the last few days. I changed the nipples in her bottles back to the newborn nipples so I am wondering if that helped the spit up situation. Sorry I am rambling now. She smiled through her milk coma when she heard me. What a sweet heart! We'll get up and do it all over again.

Here is Daddy getting her buckled in to go to school.Here are a couple of pics from after school. She has on another outfit from Granny. Isn't she style'n. Thanks Granny!

Another cute pic in Daddy's big chair. Love my girl!

We are looking forward to our trip to RS this weekend. We are going to celebrate with Dad and Tyler on Saturday and then go see the rest of the Chambers crew on Sunday. Can't wait!

Wish everyone a great Friday! God is amazing...just remember you have to choose to let him be amazing in your life.

Mom goes to work tomorrow...

Well today was the last full day at home with Makena. The tears sneak up on me but it was a great day. Makena and I spent most of the day shopping. Dillards was having a big sale (big surprise to me) so we got a few things. As most of you may know I am not the biggest or best shopper. If I go, I tend to have a purpose. Today's purpose was to have a great day with my baby girl and to get some make-up and shoes. Success on both items as well as a few things for Makena next spring/summer and a couple of shirts for Daddy. I am not looking forward to the morning but I know God will get us through this change or let us know that this is not the right path. I will keep everyone posted.

Makena also is officially 12 weeks old tonight!! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. I can't imagine life without her. New things on the list this week include rolling over (she's now done it twice), sucking on her lip, and getting more hand eye coordination. While we were shopping today she played with her "Baby Riggins". Her hands seemed very coordinated. She continues to suck her thumb and fingers, but the last couple of days I noticed her sucking on her lip. She is wonderful. Praise God for such a miracle as ours!!

Rollie Pollie...

Yesterday Makena decided to roll over. It took her a while but she made it. She started out on her back and slowly worked her way to her side. Finally she flipped onto her belly. She didn't get her arm out from under herself but she certainly did it!! She is growing up so fast!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO PAPA AND UNCLE TYLER! It was yesterday. All day yesterday I was thinking their birthdays were on Monday. I was wrong. Love you both. See you soon.

Today Makena and I got up and went to get everything ready for day care/school. She is all ready to start on Thursday (30th) when I head back to work. We also got rained on during a few errands. We still need to go to the grocery store.

Other News..

I haven't been so good about actually posting how my little girl is changing. She wants so desparately to be able to pull herself up to a sitting position. It looks like she is doing crunches all the time as she curls her little body up to try to sit up. All those crunches have paid off. You can't quite see the 6 pack yet, but her little herniated belly button is getting smaller by the day. For those that don't know what that is. Her belly button looked like a big out-ee due to her abdominal muscles having a little "hole" between them allowing her intestine to poke through. There is nothing to do for it except wait. The ab muscles will go back together over time. She is also laughing and smiling a lot. This week has marked another big change in sleep. She has consistently gone 8.75-10 hours between feedings at night. She is a great little girl...even if she didn't sleep she would be great. She usually wakes up with big smiles when I walk into the room. However, she is very ready to eat. I am a big breakfast fan so maybe she gets it from me. :)

1st Riggins Wound and Makena's Photo Shoot..

Yesterday Makena experienced her first Riggins wound. I say first because even though I would like this to be the only time, I am sure they will have many more run ins over the next few years. However, I know they will also be great friends! Makena and I went out to lay in the yard yesterday because it was really nice with the cooler temperature. Riggins had brought the ball for me to throw and he brought it back just like the first time. As I tried to get him to move back he tried to grab the ball with his paw and it slipped off the ball and on to my little girl's foot. I felt so bad. She let out a horrible little cry. She was ok. Just a little scratch on her foot and no broken skin. Thank goodness. I'll be more careful the next time.



Prior to the scratch..

Today we had a little photo shoot. She looks so cute in her blue polka dots (Thanks Great Aunt Joy!) I couldn't help but take some pics. We got all dressed up today and didn't really have any where to go, but now that I have posted the pics she had visited a lot of people 2009 Cyber world style!

How about those baby blues...

Doesn't this just make you smile..

My little lady!

Oh so tired...modeling is hard work...

Miss spitty spit says "all done". THE END!!!