Anniversary #8 + Baby

mmm. s'mores

Needless to say this was a whole new experience. In the past, Coy and I usually go to a nice restaurant and buy gifts for each other to celebrate the occasion. This year was a little different. Going out to a fancy restaurant was out of the question. And gifts, well, let's just say that priorities have changed a bit. The camera that I got for Mother's Day was our gift to each other too. (I LOVE the camera!)

We have plans to "camp" in our backyard this weekend. It's just a trial run to see how it would go with Cora. So I gave Coy ingredients for s'mores as his gift. After Cora got to sleep, we decided that we needed to make s'mores last night. So we did- on the deck- over tealights... They were awesome! We had the best time. And it was a great preview of our weekend of camping!

Mom is planning to babysit one night this weekend so we will get to go out after all. :) Can't wait!Notice the baby monitor on the table :)

10 Months Old

Isn't finger food fun?!

Month 10 has had a rocky start. Cora turned 10 months old on Monday. As of that day, she offically had a new tooth and three more on the way. Ouch. We were also at the pediatrician's office on Monday to learn that we have ear infection # 5. Has ANYONE ever herard of one child having so many- five in five months? I think they have decided to wait on tubes. They would probably fall out before the fall when she is expected to need the the most. So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

On a better note, Cora is eating more and more table food. Yes, I am still pretty restrictive on some things but I made a bean and cheese quesadilla for her tonight. Progress...

The most exciting news is that Cora has taken a couple of steps!!! Last night, she took a step and tonight she took almost two steps! We know it won't be long now before she is off to the races! And while I am excited about this new task, I can't believe that she has changed so much and is growing so fast. Time is really flying.

I've also included the video that some of you have already seen of Cora signing. We've been working pretty hard to teach her some signs. She is an old pro at "more". She is also starting to get "milk". We're so proud!


Green beans, sweet potatoes, strawberries, oh my!

10 months old

My First Mother's Day

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful my first Mother’s Day was. I am so blessed to have such an amazing daughter and mother.
My day started with opening a wonderful gift from Cora. She had made a card and had her daddy help her trace her hand—LOVE IT! She had also apparently talked him into buying a really, really nice camera. Lord knows that I take lots of pictures. Well, the two of them talked it over and decided that I needed an upgrade. WOW! I took 120 pictures… just today. Is that too much? Oh well!
After I had a few minutes with my new toy, we packed up and headed to the ‘ville. Cora, as well as Will and Laurel-Ann were dedicated at Thompsonville Baptist during today’s service. We were so proud to have all of Cora’s grandparents there and many other relatives too. She looked so beautiful. The preacher even commented on how beautiful Cora’s name was. He had no idea how many people in that church loved her namesake. I know that my Grandma Cora was so proud today.
After church, Coy’s parents, my dad, Coy, Cora and I spent the day at my mom’s house. My Aunt Ann, Misty, Daniel and their family joined us as well. We had lunch, sat on the front porch, played out in the water and took naps in the shade. It doesn’t get much better than that! I had such an incredible day.

Strawberries

On Saturday, Stacie and I took the children out to pick strawberries. We took a bottle of water out there to wash off the berries so Carson and Cora could eat a couple. They were so funny- they ate almost as many berries as we picked! I was glad that I made the decision not to put a shirt on Cora. Yes, she looked like a hillbilly but she didn’t ruin a shirt! We had a great time.

Pizza, that's right, pizza

I will be the first to admit that I am a little (okay, a lot) obsessive about what Cora eats. If I am not, who will be, right? Many of you already know these facts but here they are: 1-Cora has had no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners (or artificial ANYTHING). 2-I have made all of her baby food. She has never had commercially produced baby food. 3-Until about a month ago, she had only had organically grown fruits, vegetables and grains. 4-Don’t even get me started with meat! WHY AM I SO OBSESSED!? I am quite aware that she will some day enjoy a good ol’ burger and Cook Out milkshake like the rest of us but for now I feel like it is my obligation to only offer the best nutrition for her little growing body.
Well, at Cora’s 9 month appointment, the doctor said that we should really start letting her eat what we’re eating. So I’ve been putting it off and putting it off. Yes, I give her veggies from my plate (before they are salted or peppered) and she has had some cheese and yogurt- but I am so hesitant to offer just anything. Well, the realist in me knows that my baby girl will not survive on just organic pureed butternut squash and avocado forever (of course that is not all that I feed her- those are just her favorites). SO...
All that being said… We went to a Bulls game tonight. Before the game, we went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza. I LET CORA TRY PIZZA and she loved it. She was such a good girl. It was mostly crust but she had some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and feta cheese with it. She is growing up so fast. I think I’ve been putting off table food because she looks like such a big girl when she eats it. Oh well, no looking back now.

YUMMY LOCO!

I LOVE Loco Pops! So last Friday I got some for Cora and Owen (our neighbor and one of Cora's fellas). Loco Pops is a homemade popsicle shop here in Durham. They have crazy flavors like Rosemary Pear, Lime Lemongrass, Elderberry Lavendar, Mighty Mojito, Pomegranate Tangerine, Cherry Hibiscus and Mango Chile. For the children, I decided to go with something a little more traditional, Very Berry. Very Berry is a combination of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry. I called Robin, Owen's mama, and told her that we wanted Owen in the yard with no shirt in a few minutes. (Cora had on a dress with bloomers so that's why she is dressed like she is.) As you can see, their clothes would have been ruined. We had a nice time with lots of laughs and may make this a little Friday tradition. Scott and Robin- Thanks for the pictures!