Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Stats



Miranda turned four months yesterday! This occasion also meant another trip to the doctor's office. Without further adieu, here are her new stats: she now weighs 12 pounds 8 ounces (25th percentile) and is an amazing 27 inches long. Yes, you read that correctly - 27 inches. She is off the charts in her length. Overall, she is doing very well and hitting all of her health and developmental milestones. We are so thankful for our beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Week of Firsts

This week has been a big week for our family. We reached three major milestones. Here they are in chronological order:
1. Miranda rolled over for the first time this week! Zane and I have been chasing her with the video camera for the past three weeks, trying to catch the first time she rolled over. However, last Saturday morning, Miranda and I were up early in the morning, and she rolled over while I was checking my e-mail and completely ignoring her. Fortunately, I saw out of the corner of my eye that she was reaching for a toy, and I saw her roll over to get it. Since then, she has been rolling back to tummy on a regular basis and has even rolled 360 degrees a time or two. We are still trying to catch it on video.

2. We went to our first mass children's consignment sale on Thursday. I remember my mom going to these when I was growing up, and I had also heard stories from friends about how crazy these events can be. All the stories were true. The event was held at an old Macy's store. Imagine the size of a whole Macy's store, filled with second-hand clothes, toys, cribs, bicycles, books, and much more. The sale started at 4PM, and Zane and I left the house early because we had never been to the area of St. Louis where the sale was held. When we arrived at 3:45, there were women already lined up down the sidewalk to get into the store. We decided to go over to the Barnes and Noble across the street and wait until 4. Zane stayed there and read while Miranda and I searched the sale for goodies. We bought a glider rocker for Miranda's room, a high chair (believe it or not, Miranda starts solids soon!), an exersaucer, a toddler swing for our front porch, and lots of toys. All of the items were gently used but still in great shape. Don't tell Miranda because most of the items are her Christmas presents. Here's a picture of the exersaucer and swing.

3. Miranda woke up this morning with her first little tooth protruding from her gums. For the past week and a half, she has had the classic signs of teething. This morning, that tooth made its appearance. It is small and hard to see, but here is the best we could do for a picture:

Thursday, September 17, 2009

New Tricks

Miranda has starting doing a lot of new things lately. She has started to roll onto her side, hold her toes and even giggle a little. Here's a video that showcases her talents! (As an aside: If you double click on the video, it will take you to YouTube where you can watch the video in wide screen. The video here cuts out Miranda's face a few times.)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Baptism

Three weeks ago, Miranda was baptized (sorry I am a little behind on this blog!). It was a really specially occasion. My parents (as mentioned below) and Zane's mom came in town for the event. Because my dad is a pastor, he performed the ceremony. The best part was when Miranda turned beet red and wailed right into his lapel mic as soon as the water touched her head. The whole church got an earful of her crying. It was cute. After, we had a few friends from church over for lunch to help us celebrate.





HGTV

About three weeks ago, HGTV showed up at our house. OK, not really but close enough. My parents came out for Miranda's baptism, and they helped us settle into our new house. They brought and planted azaleas, lilies, and irises. They helped us set up our internet (we had to install a phone jack). They unpacked and tore down boxes. They hung drapes. They hung pictures. They bought Miranda an ugly dresser at Goodwill, sanded it, painted it and now it is better than new. Most importantly, they got us hooked on HGTV. (We do not have a tv, but HGTV's website has old episodes from its programs) Here are a few highlights from the time.




Mom hanging drapes


Before the weekend, Miranda's room was empty except for her crib and chair. Now look at it!






Miranda's nursery: butterfly quilt made by one of Zane's youth group kids, dresser that we refurbished, Miranda's name on the wall that we painted and hung, and her dresser (including our wedding picture hung above it).




Miranda and Granddaddy before a big day of house work.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Labor Day on the lake

A couple from our church owns a boat at Lake of the Ozark, and they invited the church staff to spend Labor Day with them on their boat. We left our house at 8AM, and carpooled with our friends Jason and Liz. They were very brave to ride with us because Miranda has not done well with road trips in the past. However, she did great! We drove 2.5 hours to the lake, and NO meltdowns. She was a rock star. We set out from the dock around 11AM, cruised for a few hours and then dropped anchor in a cove where we ate lunch and swam. Thankfully, Miranda was able to take a nap in one of the boat's bedrooms while we were anchored. It was too choppy for her to sleep while we were cruising. Here are some pictures and highlights.



Everybody hanging out on the bridge while we were cruising.



As you can see, Miranda was not so sure how she felt about the boat at first. Eventually she warmed up, and even took a turn driving.



This was Miranda's own changing and napping room. She had a cozy queen sized bed to nap on, and she slept for 2.5 hours! The gentle rocking must have reminded her of being in the womb.



Hanging out on the front of the boat.



Miranda and Ruthann: Miranda was a very popular person on the boat.



Family photo after a long day at sea



Abby was kind enough to hang out with Miranda so I could have some free time



. Who is that handsome sailor?



Playing cards down below