Swing Baby Swing

Cora loves the swing that Mar Mar gave her for Christmas. We wanted to put it in the backyard but this was the best limb (that was also close enough to the ground). A little white trash never hurt anyone. *We do take it down when we finish playing. But still...

Cora's First Christmas

The best present ever.

Christmas was even more fun than we could have dreamed! We actually had Christmas X 6! Cora slept through opening gifts at 4 out of 6. Opening gifts at 7:00pm interrupts her beauty sleep. She still was showered by so many presents. She got clothes, toys, books, and even her very own baby donkey! That's right, Cora owns livestock! Her Grandpa Paschal just got a mama donkey and a baby girl donkey. The baby is Cora's. Coy also made Cora a beautiful toy box/trunk. It is so special. I know she will always cherish it.
We loved seeing our families. That is the best part. We traveled to Reidsville on Sunday and Wednesday and to Farmville on Christmas day. We spent a lot of time on the road but it was worth it.
Santa visited and managed to squeeze in a few more goodies for Cora. She got her first baby doll and cradle, a walking wagon and a bouncing horse along with some other things.
We can barely fit into our living room! It is not too big to begin with. It really shrunk with the arrival of Christmas! We are so fortunate.
With all of the gift-giving and rushing around, we have not forgotten how blessed we are to have our healthy, beautiful daughter. As many of you know, we had quite a time getting Cora here- and we hope she always knows how much she means to us. She is the best gift we could ever
ask for.


Did Santa Clause visit?!

Merry Christmas, Mar Mar!

We learned that putting Cora in pajamas before long rides home made going to bed a lot easier. And doesn't she look cute?

I can see myself!

I love my horse! Giddy up!

We need a bigger house! Note the time: 1:25am.

Cora even got diapers.

Cora loved the stocking that the Allens had for her.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Michelle and the baby (to be named later).

5 months old

This was Cora at 2 weeks. Look how much she has grown!

I know that this picture is a little late. But here it is-- Cora's 5 month rocking chair picture. She is sitting up completely unassisted these days. She is also saying Da Da nonstop! I love it. She often says it when I am doing something that she does not like. She likes to say it when I am not going fast enough: feeding her, dressing her, etc. Is she calling Coy to come and help or to complain? I don't know. *I've included a picture of Cora at 2 weeks old. It is amazing how much she has changed already!

Bath Time!

With the exception of those first couple of baths, Cora really likes taking a bath. Now that she is sitting up, she is starting to play in the water more. (Tonight I didn't use her baby tub. She sat in the big tub like a big girl.) She does not mind if I leave a trickle of water running that splashes on her. She also does not mind when I pour water over her head and it goes over her face. She just flutters those wet eyelashes and keeps on playing. We have our fingers crossed that she will enjoy swimming and playing in the water as much as Coy and I do. What can you expect from a summer baby. She spent a lot of time in the pool before she was born!

Look Out Rockettes!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Spending time with friends and family

Ho Ho Ho! What do you want for Christmas little girl? A donkey? OK! I'll see what I can do!

Our first babysitters

Kim & George with Cora

We did lots of visiting this week. On Sunday, Grandpa and Rhonda came over for breakfast. We had a great time and ate lots! Then we had our first REAL babysitters! (Aside from Aundrea of course). Emily and David came over to hang out with Cora while we went out for a little Christmas shopping. Cora could not quit talking about what fun the three of them had! Our last company of the day were some of my old friends from Haw River Elementary. Patty Lamb and Jayne Jackson came over. And when I say over, I mean OVER. Jayne came all the way from New Zealand! It was wonderful to see them both. I miss them so much!

On Monday, we saw more of my HRE buddies (Kim, George, Megan and others) at a mini-reunion.

We finally took Cora to see Santa Clause. He was great. Cora didn't seem to mind him very much. We got a wonderful picture and we scanned it for you to see.

Mama Is So Funny!

We caught some pretty good laughs this time. Enjoy!

Cora Loves Miz Emmy and The Mad Hatter for breakfast!

We got our tree last night and it smells so wonderful in our house! I love that Christmas tree smell! This morning we got Cora dressed like a little elf to join Emily and Karen for breakfast. We had such a nice time catching up. We are going to try to make this a regular date. Soon Cora can order her own yogurt parfait. Yummy!

Good Groceries!!!

We brought the turkey, sort of. Cora says that's just wrong.

That's right, no shirt. We're learning fast.

I can do it myself!

These were my pants from 30 years ago!
Vintage Powder-Blue Bell-Bottom Corduroy--GROOVY

Christmas card, anyone?

Hi Aunt Judy! It's so nice to finally meet you!

I love the phrase, "Good Groceries". It never fails that when Mr. Irving's people are together someone will say it between bites of delicious food. We certainly had good groceries at Aunt Judy and Uncle Pete's house. Uncle Pete is a master at turkey frying. Yum!
Aside from Thanksgiving, Cora ate pretty good at home too. We've decided to try some other delicacies besides the ever-popular rice cereal. Last week she ate sweet potatoes-- Loved Them! Tonight it was butternut squash-- Loved It Too! Coy got in on the feeding action tonight for the first time. It was great to watch how he made every face that Cora did. I don't think he even knew he was doing it. :) We also love how she has to talk through every meal. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.

Whew! A Big Week!

Wow, she's cute!
My first bite of big girl food

We all had Chinese food on Friday

A lot has happened since our last post. Last Sunday, Cora rolled over. Coy, Mar Mar and I watched (and held their breath) as she did it! On Friday night, she started rice cereal. We all had Chinese food that night. Cora loved eating big girl food. You can see the pictures of our fancy meal. I’m sure I’ll have more to post after Thanksgiving so stay tuned.

Our family wishes yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are more thankful this year than we ever knew that we could be. Our blessings are many. May God bless you as you spend this special time with your families.

Cora-copia :) Gobble!Gobble!

1/3 of a Year Old

We went to Cora’s checkup yesterday. We stopped by for my flu shot first to show Cora that the shots were not going to be too bad. It must have worked too- she cried when they gave her the 3 shots but as soon as I picked her up, she stopped. I had planned to feed her immediately after the shots. Last time it stopped her crying instantly. But this time, she had stopped crying before she even started to eat. My little trooper!
The doctor is very pleased with her progress! She is no longer in the 90% across the board. She is still growing, but has slowed down a little (very typical for 4 months old). Here are her latest stats: 14 lb. 15.5oz (75%), 25.5 in (90%), and her head circumference is in the 70% range.
Cora is laughing a little but she smiles non-stop. She has come very close to rolling several times. This morning she rolled from back to front but I am not counting it because she was on the bed beside me. I think she might have rolled because I was pushing the bed down on one side. Any day now!
We also got the green light to start some rice cereal. We were even told that in about 2 weeks we could try some veggies and/or fruit. Wow! I was not expecting that. She is growing up so fast!
Other than the appointments, we've had a fun week. On Tuesday we went out to lunch with our dear friend, Emily. She gets our gold star of the week. You can link to her blog (Mighty Team Myers) and see why. She, David and their families can use all of the prayers and well-wishes that they can get. They have just jumped over a major hurdle and David is on his way back to being the healthy hunk that he was before. On Thursday we took Coy to the airport EARLY and have been “just the girls” for the past couple of days. Cora and I miss him and can’t wait to meet him at the airport later today.
I should sign off for now. My little peanut is napping and she should be waking up soon. Enjoy the pictures of our little 4 month old!

Cora with Mrs. Emily

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! Sorry we could not be there with you today. Hopefully this will be good enough for now. Enjoy your day!

Happy Halloween!

Before going to Aundrea's on Halloween morning.

Holding hands!

Our little cow-girl

Stacie, Carson the Cow, Cora the Turkey and The Turkey Mama

Our tuckered-out little turkey

On Friday, we enjoyed cruising Stacie & Regan’s neighborhood. We ended up carrying the children and pulling the wagon. Carson was an adorable cow and Cora was a pretty tuckered-out turkey. Unfortunately, trick-or-treating happens around the same time that we usually go to bed-- so Cora slept through most of the festivities.

We have pictures of her in a cow costume and a turkey costume. The turkey was the real one. The cow was the backup- but once we knew that Carson was a cow, we had to get some pictures of them together. These will be great to show them when they are getting ready for the prom!Fun times!!!

A Beautiful Tribute

Cora with Cousin Tedra and Uncle Ted

Saturday was a beautiful day to join the town of Farmville, NC in the dedication of their veterans’ memorial. Cora’s great-uncle Ted was the featured speaker. We were all very moved by his words and the kind words spoken about Mr. Ichabod and Mrs. Annie Pearl Allen (Cora’s great grandparents) by Congressman Walter B. Jones. Among the many honored were Mr. Irving (Granddaddy Irv.), his brothers, Bill and Ted, and their nephew Ben Hobgood. We are so proud of all of them- and were so proud to be able to attend.

Aside from the ceremony, we had a great time visiting with family members who had never met Cora (and those who had too, of course). After the dedication, we ate lunch and fellowshipped at Uncle Butch’s house. We also visited with Kathy and Great Grandma MeMa. Kathy is so tenderhearted that she was moved to tears when she met her newest great niece. MeMa is Cora’s only living great grandparent. We were excited for her to meet them both. It was nice to see everyone. We are so blessed to have such great families.

We have lots of pictures of this special day.

Uncle Ted and Congressman Jones

Cora with Cousin Tedra and Grandma Jennie

Cousin Ben was great at making Cora smile


Cousin LeeAnn entertained us with beautiful music!


Having fun with Granddaddy Irv and Gabby (Great Aunt Betsy)