The man I love.

Till death do us part.

I hope me posting this super-fly picture of him doesn't move that date up...

I also kind of hope Charlotte grows up to look like him.

Product recommendation for teething babies!!!

Charlotte's never been much about a pacifier (she took one for a few weeks, then decided she hated them) - but she LOVES this. It's larger than a regular paci, and she gnaws and chews on it. The handle is also large enough for her to hang on to. It was a gift from Prestley.

BRU doesn't carry them, Lone Star Baby does - or you can buy them all over the internet. They're called Razberry teethers, made by Razbaby. Go order one. Now! Go! Do it! There will come a day (as I did, this weekend) when you've tried Tylenol, Motrin, Hylands, Orajel, washcloths, teething rings, frozen bananas, raw meat (okay, maybe not) and your little one is still desperate.

A day in the life of Prestley and Charlotte...

*cue the Peaches and Herb music*

and she sings... Reunited, and it feels so gooood.....

Ok, so maybe that song isn't exactly the right one, but it's what popped into my head, so I'm using it.

Jason & I had dinner, by ourselves, last night - for only the second time since Charlotte was born.

The idea was Suzanne's - she graciously insisted that we go on a 'date night', and her, Aron & Mags would watch Charlotte. I'm pretty sure Charlotte wasn't an easy baby (that's a story for an entirely different post), so we're incredibly grateful to them. We didn't realize until we were out how DESPERATELY we needed it.

Between the stress of having a new baby, work/home, Jason's condition, his upcoming surgery and his coming disability leave - we've been in dire need of some time together, to reconnect.

They opened a new shopping center in Allen, complete with lots of pretend streams and pretty landscaping... so we headed out there for dinner. What better place to reconnect than the Cheesecake Factory! lol. Not romantic, but deeeelish. Because I know everyone lives to eat like I do - I'll go ahead and share what we had: Jason had the center cut pork chops (boring), and I had the special of the day - Mediterranean Mahi Mahi.

After dinner, we went next door to Cru for dessert (fondue) and some wine tasting. I highly recommend Cru... the service was EXCELLENT, the sommelier extremely knowledgeable and gracious - but go there when you have more time. We didn't realize how slow the process of getting dessert would be, and we ended up leaving our crabby, teething baby on the poor McKay shoulders longer than we intended.

It was a great night, and one that we really needed. Thanks so much, Aron & Suz. :o) We can't wait to repay the favor... your spritely little sunshine has a much better attitude than ours.

And for those of you keeping up with Jason's saga...

His surgery is scheduled for 08/08/08. As of the last MRI, one of his discs was bulging at 13mm - a feat that surgeon dictated in his notes to be "previously considered impossible." It looks like a tumor, and the nerves in his spinal cord are soooooooo compressed (they have maybe 20% of the room that they should have). Surgery is always daunting, but he should feel MUCH better after it's over. He's going out on short-term disability beginning Wed, July 30th - and is going to stay out for several weeks after the operation. We suspect that part of the reason he's in such bad shape is his persistance, in the past, to resume work/life faster than he should have. He went to church the day after getting out of the hospital, after his first surgery (surgery was 5.5 hours long, he was in there 5 days), and the second surgery he had on a Thursday, and went back to work on Tuesday.

This time, we're slowing that train down.

Pray we don't drive each other bananas. :o)

Here's some gratuitous bathtime video. This was before she went to the McKay's... I had high hopes that she would stay this silly, but no dice. And I don't know why it's so grainy... dumb youtube.

Congrats, Brooke & Will!

Charlotte was up half-a-dozen times last night, it must've been because she was excited about her newest friend Breckin being born! Such an exciting time. The Cabbage Patch Phone Line was ringing off the hook.

Welcome to the world, Breckin - and congrats Lashers! Soak it all in.

(Brooke & Will go to church with us, and Brooke is in my book club. You can see pictures on their blog, it's in my blog roll...).

Those of you contemplating cloth diapers...

Click here to enter to win a great Bum Genius starter kit.

For my Grandma....

Hi Grandma Dee! We miss you!!!!

xoxo!

A family portrait, after a nap...

BPA.B.A.PITA.

I'm sure you're all just sick to death of BPA warnings and such, but I thought I'd give a heads up to my fellow Dallas-area mommies that the Plano location of Babies R Us will exchange your baby bottles even-steven for BPA free versions. No packaging, no receipt - just all the parts to the bottle.

If you AREN'T in the Dallas area, it's a decision being made store-by-store, so call your local one and ask. I bet they will, though. They're handling it that way because it's not an official recall yet. They are, however, phasing out all bottles containing the crap so they obviously recognize that it's a problem.

If you DON'T know about BPA, and are interested - just research. A lot of people aren't worried about it for different reasons, and hopefully they're right, but if you can go BPA-free - why not? BPA has been linked to thyroid problems (raises hand), miscarraiges (raises hand two times), disruption of hormones and infertility (watches the sea of hands go up).

I figure, better safe than sorry. If I'm trying to eat more organically, produce less waste, and just be more *aware* in general - then this is a free/easy step.

Baby Bling

Well, maybe not so much bling, but accessorizing just the same.

I had read about the supposed mystical, magical truly-fantastical-properties of amber... and knew a few friends who'd purchased amber teething necklaces for their little ones. I can now see two little teeth about to break through in Charlotte's little mouth, and she is NOT happy about it, so we decided to give it a shot.

I'll let you know if it works. Even if it doesn't, it's at least pretty cute. This was right before she covered it in sweet potatoes.



ETA: We bought ours here.

Scenes from a weekend...

So I know that I pretty much only post photos... well, that's not going to get any better, any time soon. In HS I lived in the darkroom, and it's a hobby I've always enjoyed. I've decided to brush up on my apertures, F-stops, shutter speeds, blah blah blah and start working my camera the way it was built to be worked. Everything I have to say is usually boring anyway. :o)

Kisses for Daddy...

Mmmmm.... frozen banana is delicious!

Bathtime (gotta wash that banana off!)

Ready for church!

Prestley came to play!

Dear Charlotte...

You're 6 months old today! I can hardly believe it.

This morning, when we were snuggled up together in our PJ's, I tried to remember what it was like when you were half this size... and I barely can.



Your feet are still chubby and squishy, but they're not as squishy as they were - I know they're developing and firming up so that you'll be able to stand strong.


Your nose is still round and turns up just the slightest bit at the end, and when you sleep - your chin and lips still kind of pucker, because there are no teeth to hold them out.

When you were born, you had the slightest little wisps of eyelashes... barely any to be seen, but now they've grown, too.

Your hair is getting thicker (a little, at least), your grip is stronger and more deliberate.



Your personality is contagious and your temper can be daunting.

When you smile, your eyes literally sparkle. You snort when you laugh, and you laugh when you sneeze.



You talk to us through-out the day in a language that only you and pterodactyls understand, but you still seem to be patient with us as we learn.

When we change your diaper, you grab your feet and inspect them very closely. You suck on your toes more than you suck on your thumb. You wiggle and squirm and while it makes for diapering difficulties, it also exposes the chunkiest parts of your thighs that are so ticklish.


You like to try and pick my nose when you are nursing, and you give us all "kisses" by sucking our cheeks. We allow it, because we love you and find it enchanting, but it takes a mop to clean up the pool you leave behind.

You've had avacados, bananas and yesterday you enjoyed cereal for the first time. You're so eager to try new things, though, that when Mommy or Daddy eat in front of you - you become hypnotized and then start trying to steal our goodies.


I believe your first teeth will be breaking through any day now... you are drooling massive amounts, desperately gnawing on everything and anything, and at times you cry with desperation and frustration. You also have a very runny nose and lots of congestion, which they say is a sign. On one hand, your Daddy and I can't wait for you to have some relief - but on the other hand, we wish so hard that we could just freeze you in this magical age. Your gummy smile is so lovely that it makes my heart ache.

9 out of 10 days, you sleep soundly through the night, from around 8:30pm until 7am. The 10th of the 10 you will be up every hour. Those nights, we've just resolved to bring you into our bed. It calms you so that you can rest, and allows us the special joy of waking up to you smiling and grabbing our noses. You'll reach out and touch me, then roll to the other side and touch your daddy, then back to me, then back to him.... mornings are always the yummiest part of the day with you.



You are precious and perfect, my sweet girl. You smell like lavender and vanilla lotion, you feel like you're full of mashed potatoes, the sound of your breath - when you sleep - quiets my mind, and you still make every day the best day ever.

Thank you for letting us be your parents...

- Mommy

Wordless Wednesday

The Fourth of July...

Not just a day for fireworks!

Charlotte had her first solid food (avacado), her first swim in a big-people pool and her first best-friend-bathtime, with Prestley.

She LOVED the avacado, she REALLY loved the swimming and she really, REALLY loved the bath!

It was a great day with the Stovalls, and we just can't WAIT to watch our sweet girls grow up together.

Wordless Wednesday