Trois-Rivieres and Montana

Seth, Adelyn, and I went to Quebec (Adelyn's first stamp on her passport!) for his race at Trois-Rivieres. We went with his parents, sister, her two kids (Emily 4 and Thomas 2), and his aunt Martha ("Mart Mart"). It was quite interesting being in a French speaking region. Seth finished 4th! He's still in the lead for the championship (by 19 points!). There's just one more race- Salt Lake City (Sept. 11). Here are some pictures from the race (there are pictures of the kids at the bottom):

http://bimmerworldracing.com/view_gallery.php?id=72157624612393339

After the race, we went to Montana. Kern and Denise (friends in Cumming) and a baby-sitter (Big Emily) joined us. We hiked, ate (Kern is a phenomenal chef), and relaxed. Kern, Denise, Seth, and I went on a 16.54 mile hike! We hiked Swiftcurrent Pass to Granite Park Chalet and then to Logan Pass. We started at 4,800 feet and reached 7,200 feet. It was the best hike I've ever done. We also did some shorter hikes with Adelyn. She loved going to the river and playing in the water. It was very cold, but that didn't seem to phase her! The kids loved throwing rocks into the Flathead. There is not enough time to do everything you want to do in Montana! I loved watching Adelyn experience these new sights!

Side note: Adelyn went in for her 15 month check up. She weighs 25.35 pounds (80th percentile), is 32 inches long (86th percentile), and her head circumference is 18.75 inches (89th percentile).

Seth and Adelyn down by the river

This moose was right near the playset beside the house! I was pushing Adelyn on the swing, and Seth spotted it licking the salt block. Adelyn saw it and started waving! She was also making her clucking noises (that she does for a horse galloping). Meanwhile, I was wondering if we should run for our lives or stay calm! The moose looked right at us and went right back to licking! Thank goodness!

Stanton Lake (we hiked here with Brenda, Kern, Denise, and Big Emily). We had a picnic lunch looking at this beautiful scenery.

Adelyn can drink out of a camelback!

Many shots from our Swiftcurrent Pass hike

Halfway through: Granite Park Chalet

We took the kids to the Izaac Walton to see the train pass beneath the bridge. Adelyn was fascinated with looking down at the ground through the holes!

Grandma with her grandkids

Grandpa reading to Adelyn

Adelyn, Emily, and Thomas

Folly Beach, SC

Adelyn will be 15 months old in just a few days! Seth just said the other day that he wishes he could freeze her at this stage. She is so much fun! I think the neatest thing to watch is her vocabulary grow. She wants to know what everything is and attempts to repeat it. Sometimes it's pretty close! And sometimes she remembers it and few days later she'll say it again! It's awesome! My ABSOLUTE favorite thing she does is gets a book and walks backward until she can plop down in my lap. I will drop anything to read a book to that girl.

We went to Folly Beach (about 30 minutes away from downtown Charleston) for a week with my parents and brother. This was the first vacation we have been on with my parents. We had such a good time! We rented a 4 bedroom beachfront condo. Adelyn loved the ocean and sand! She ran right to it from day one. The sand did not bother her one bit. She loved putting seashells in her bucket. Seth dug her a hole and she would sit in it for an hour! There was a pool at the condo, but I think she preferred the ocean. I got to see lots of old friends. It was nice to have the time to get some good visits in with my friends that live there. Two of my friends just happened to be visiting Charleston at the same time. Of course, I got some downtown Charleston shopping in! My mom and I spent an afternoon doing the King Street Crawl and Seth and I went shopping for art (we're looking for something to hang above our mantle, but didn't find "IT"). I got some nice morning walks in and Seth and I did an 8 mile bike ride. All in all, everyone had fun...but no one enjoyed it as much as Ms. Adelyn!

Adelyn is getting her molars in. Boy has that been a doozy! There have been a few nights/eeeeaaaarly mornings where she's up crying. Bless her heart. They must be killers! I will be so ready for them to finish popping through!

Laura and Janie came in town for a couple nights. It was great to watch Janie and Adelyn together (they're about 2 weeks apart). They don't really play together, but they do interact some. We went to the pool, the mall playground, and ate out.

Coming up next....Quebec (Seth's next to last race at Trois-Rivieres) and Montana with Seth's family!! We leave in a few days! Seth is leading the points for the championship, so we are keeping our fingers crossed for an awesome finish. And when we return, Adelyn will start Mother's Morning Out! Woo-hoo!!

Pictures are below from our beach trip. Here's the link to many more on Kodakgallery.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/photoPicker/albums.jsp

Compare....

Adelyn (3 months old in Kiawah) Adelyn (14 months old at Folly Beach)

Video of Adelyn on the first day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcEAoIh3Bm4

An early morning walk on the beach

I AM READY to hit the beach!

Joy

She did not mind getting sand on her. She constantly had handfuls of sand or seashells!

My parents before their date night

Chilling in the beach chair

Seth and I before our date night. We went to Cru Cafe (which is where we ate the night we were engaged and where I celebrated my 30th birthday)

Pool girl!

Joseph relaxing with a book

Carolina Girl

She loves her Daddy!

D-Day (departure day...saying good bye to the ocean)

Adelyn "reads" a book

Here is a video of Adelyn jabbering away with a book. She does this all the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hz-OclbY7o

Time is flying!

Adelyn is 14 months old now! I don't even know where to begin with all that she's doing. I guess the biggest thing is she is walking everywhere!! She's been walking well for about a month now. Before that she'd take 4-6 steps and fall. Now, she just about runs!! I rarely see her crawl anymore. I'm most excited about her language development. She's really trying to imitate words. She will look at you and jabber away. We know she's saying something! She'll even repeat the exact same gibberish....it has a purpose! Some words she definitely says are: car, cow, shoe, book, boom boom (she learned this from Grandma and does it when she falls), uh oh, whoa!, Go Daddy Go!! (with her fist pumping....she learned this at the track from Grandma), please ("pees"), and of course her animal noises. She does a pretty good variety of animals. Adelyn finally got some more teeth! It had been months! Now she has 2 more bottom teeth (for a grand total of 8). Another milestone we've reached is getting rid of the paci. She was only getting it during naps and nighttime, but we've stopped using it! She would sleep with one clutched tightly in her hand and one in her mouth. We started a few days ago, but so far so good! She is still a huge eater. She always signs for more....the girl is never finished. She'll eat just about anything put in front of her. I think homemade ice cream at Papa's is her favorite.
We've been having so much fun with her this summer! We have a fearless water baby! She puts her own head in the water and tries to blow bubbles. We've always said, "feet first" (when getting down from the couch), and she does that going into the pool....whether there's a step there or not. We thought she'd be scared if she fell in (while we're standing right there...nothing dangerous!), but it does NOT phase her. She just laughs when she comes up. I think Seth has just as much fun as she does. He is all about tossing her up in the air and splashing around with her. She LOVES the pool!! Adelyn is a busy little thing. She loves to open the drawers in the kitchen and play with tupperware containers. I am finding lids everywhere! She is into carrying anything with a handle. She'll tote a Robeez shoebox with her all over. I think that's her favorite toy (once, she even took a nap with this shoebox). She loves to carry Seth's shoes too. I found his flip flops in the washing machine yesterday.
Seth is doing awesome with his racing! They won their race at Mid Ohio! Adelyn and I went...and we were so glad to be there to cheer him on! He and his teammate, Bill, are now leading the points! It's by just one point, so we're hoping the margin will get a little wider at the next race in NJ!
I went away with 4 college girlfriends to Highlands, NC. Seth kept Adelyn. It was so nice to get away and know that I didn't have to worry about her. I came back so refreshed from having some much needed girl time! My mom came in town for several days after that, and it was great to have her here. We visited friends and family, shopped, and played!

Want to see her in action? Below are some videos for your viewing pleasure:

Adelyn walking (I love how she books it when I ask her to come here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5h6OBgRCBY
Adelyn feeding herself yogurt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YAHUm23ko0
Adelyn using sign language to get pudding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ohTXCq5iaw

Seth and I got the new iPhones, so I'm addicted to taking videos of her. She really enjoys when I play them back for her. I don't know if she knows that it's her, but she sure does think that baby is funny!!

Next post: Beach trip!! I hope each of you are enjoying your summer!

ONE year old!!

We had Adelyn's first birthday party on May 15th. We had mainly family and a few friends come. It was a cupcake theme. The party was fun! Only at our party would go carts be involved. We're storing a friend's go carts, and Seth got them out after most everyone had left. Adelyn really enjoyed riding up and down Fast Lane with her Daddy. We had a photographer take pictures. She did a fantastic job!I never would have gotten it captured. Here's a link to view a slideshow of photos:

href="http://camilledeannphotography.com/viewing/?slideshowID=43010">http://camilledeannphotography.com/viewing/?slideshowID=43010

Oops....slideshow expired....here's a link to the photographer's blog that shows some pictures:
http://www.camilledeann.com/home/2010/6/5/adelyns-1st-birthday-party-atlanta-childrens-photographer.html

As usual, we have done a little bit of traveling. Seth had a race at Limerock (CT). He and his teammate WON the race!! Yay! Adelyn and I weren't there to see it and of course, this race won't be televised :(. We went to my parents' house. It was a busy visit (seeing my brother lots, a block party, Memorial Day cookout and a trip to Hickory to see my grandmother). Seth had another race the following weekend at Watkins Glen (NY). We went to this one and had a great time! They finished 6th in this race.

At Adelyn's one year check up, she weighed 22 pounds and 1 ounce (63rd percentile), was 31 3/4 inches long (98th percentile), and her head circumference was 18 1/2 inches (91st percentile). Everything went great at her check up! She is doing much better with the sippy cup. The whole milk does not agree with her system! I gradually transitioned her to whole milk (mixed breast milk with it less and less). When she was drinking pure whole milk, we had some messy, messy blowouts. Disgusting. The nurse said to switch to 2%, and that is a lot better on her tummy. Her appetite is out of control! Sometimes I think she eats more than me! The signs for "more' are never-ending. That girl LOVES food. Adelyn is so funny! She's making all kinds of noises (the newest one is "Vroom, Vroom") and jabbers nonstop. She's still not officially walking (she's taken a couple steps in order to get somewhere....i.e from the ottoman to the coffee table). She also has not gotten anymore teeth. It's been a while since a new one has come in!

It's hard to comprehend that a year has gone by. We survived it! ;) I can't imagine my life without her in it. Everyone says to treasure these moments because it's gone before you know it. I really feel like I try and take the time to soak it up, and it still zooms by. Happy first birthday, sweet Adelyn!

Adelyn's birthday party invitation....I took her picture on the 11th of each month next to the same bunny rabbit to show her growth. It's neat to see how much she changed!

May 11th: Adelyn on her birthday

Adelyn after the cake (she liked it just ok....she was more interested in feeding it to us)

Hickory (visiting my 95 year old grandmother)

Adelyn in Seth's car at Watkins Glen

11 months old

Adelyn is really starting to make changes in her communication skills! She "talks" all the time. I feel like I better know what she's saying based on her facial expressions. She is saying more words. (such as "hey", "bye bye", "cow", and her animal noises....snake, cow, dog, monkey). I swear she said, "Hey, CeCe" to my friend Amy's baby several times! I've been so excited that she finally has started doing the sign language we've been teaching her. She'll sign for more and point to what she wants. Speaking of pointing, she points to EVERYTHING. I think I walk around labeling things all day long. She is also imitating what we do. She will pick up her hairbrush and "brush" her hair. She will also try and throw the ball to Riley. She drops the ball at her shoulder but continues to follow through with the hand motion of the throw. Basically, the ball drops at her hip and Riley gets it. He usually brings it back to Seth or me for a better throw! She is also trying to put on her hats. She's a little sponge and trying to do things herself!

Adelyn is still not walking. She will walk with a walker and doesn't need more than a fingertip to balance herself standing. Occasionally, she will stand alone for several seconds. I think it will come soon! Speaking of events coming soon....Adelyn will be making the switch to whole milk in the next week or so. I am a little sad (and a little glad) to stop breastfeeding. As for the transition to the sippy cup....that's been difficult! She has been a pretty easy baby, so if this is our biggest hurdle, I think we're ok. BUT, she sure does NOT like that cup! I've gotten advice from everyone and have invested a small fortune in various brands/styles. I guess it just takes time!

We've been on several small trips this month. We went to two of Seth's races. One was at Barber (Birmingham, AL). This was fun because Melissa, Emily, and Thomas got to come. Thomas and Adelyn had SO much fun playing on the grassy hill. The other race was VIR (Danville, VA). My parents and my dear friend Heather that I've known since middle school came. We (Randy, Amy, CeCe, Adelyn, and myself) also went to Spartanburg to celebrate Janie's first birthday and Laura's birthday. That was really fun because I got to see my closest girlfriends!

It's hard to believe that the next post will be Adelyn's FIRST BIRTHDAY! This year has flown by an has been an absolute blessing. I can't wait to see what this precious child has in store for us next year! :)

Grandma and Adelyn at Seth's race at Barber (Birmingham, AL)

Mae's First Birthday Party (Mae, Charlie, and Adelyn)

Papa giving Adelyn homemade ice cream

Grandpa and Adelyn at VIR

My mom and Adelyn (check out her shirt). Seth finished 2nd at VIR, so she was showing her support! ;)

Janie's First Birthday

We love to feed the cows fresh cut grass in the evenings. This picture was taken after swinging in her new swing and playing with the cows (lots of excitement around here!)

10 months

Happy Spring, everyone! We are so glad that warmer weather is here! Adelyn loves being outside. We are enjoying going on walks, blowing bubbles outside, swinging at the park, and riding in the wagon!

Adelyn is still pretty much on the same schedule. She wakes up around 8, naps from 10-12 and 2-4, and goes to bed around 8:30. She's dropped a nap and is staying awake for longer durations without being cranky. She's really into eating the solid foods! She loves cheese, turkey, chicken, bananas, green beans, and egg whites (had those for the first time Easter morning). It's nice that she can pretty much eat whatever is off of our plates (just cut into tiny bites). This girl will try anything and for the most part, like it! She likes to eat...just like her mom! It will soon be time to start weaning from breastmilk to whole milk. I'm kind of sad about that process. Adelyn is not walking yet, although she has stood alone for a few seconds here lately. She cruises and always wants to stand. We'll have a walker before we know it!

Her first Easter was a lot of fun! I tell you, holidays have always been wonderful, but I enjoy them even more with a child. We went to my parents' house for the weekend. On Saturday, we took Adelyn to an Easter Egg Hunt at my parents' church. The darn thing started at 2 and the hunt really didn't get going until 3:15. Adelyn just couldn't make it through the whole event. She's gotta have that afternoon nap! Mom and I went to Sunrise Service on Lake Wylie Sunday morning. It was beautifull! When we came home, we "hid" (placed 4 eggs together in the grass) eggs for Adelyn to find. She loved her basket of goodies and as soon as she got hold of the eggs, they went straight to her mouth. We must have not used the right kind of dye, because it died her lips and hands. It was hilarious- it looked like lipstick! We went to Hickory for Easter lunch at my aunt Betty's. It was great to see my grandmother. We then drove to Dawsonville for supper with Seth's family. They were also hunting eggs, so she got to put another one in her mouth.

My mom, Adelyn, and I went to Highlands for a couple of days. We had great weather and enjoyed shopping and eating! Great girls trip! My mom is tickled because Adelyn can say "Nana". It's probably because of bananas, but it thrills her nonetheless. She says she's going to start wearing bananas around her neck so Adelyn will always point to her and say it.

Adelyn loves Riley and Peri. Peri will let her do anything, but Riley runs when Adelyn comes near. He won't tolerate the hair pulling and paw tugging.

Adelyn in her car

This sweet man at our church had 8 bunnies. Melissa and I took Emily, Thomas, and Adelyn to see them. Emily held and pet 4 bunnies in her lap the entire time. Thomas was kind of scared of them, but then warmed up to them. Adelyn didn't know what to think! She pet them a few times and played peek-a-boo with her dress (not very ladylike!). She was grouchy, so we didn't get a cute picture of all 3 cousins. :(

Adelyn, Nana, and Grandeddy at Steele Creek Presbyterian

Look what the Easter Bunny left! Books!

Easter Eggs!

In Hickory with my grandmother

Emily and Adelyn at Papa's

Adelyn playing the piano at Papa's

She loves to play with kitchens. I always find her playing the ones in the church nursery or gym daycare. Here she is in Highlands.

Nana, Adelyn, and me in Highlands