Thatcher, 22 Weeks.

Thanks to a tip from a friend, Ben and I were able to score an extra ultrasound this week!  We got hooked up with Philips, one of the companies that manufactures ultrasound machines, and I was able to serve as a "model" for a training class on some of their equipment!

It was a little bit weird, but still really neat to get watch that sweet baby boy for over an hour.  Ultrasound techs basically used me (and the five other women in the room) to practice with the machine and ask the Philips "experts" about the different capabilities of the ultrasound technology.  We even managed to score a couple of 3D pics of our youngest, which is something I've never experienced before.

I'm not too sure what I think of the 3D imagery.  While the pictures were neat to see, I'm very thankful I didn't pay to have it done (Philips actually paid me $100 to "model!").  Evidently babies have to be in just the right position, with just the right amount of fluid around their face to get any good shots.  Thatcher cooperated for a little bit, but I still think the pictures are kind-of strange. :)

I do think he's got the same nose as the rest of the kiddos, but that's really all that stuck out to me.  Well, that  and the fact that he's completely adorable, but we already knew he would be.

I'm getting both super excited and incredibly anxious about his arrival.

And emotional.  I'm always emotional these days.  :)

Nine Months.

Doe,

It's hard to believe you're nine months old today.  Seriously.  Three quarters of the way to a whole year...while I don't really remember what your little newborn body felt like in my arms, I do remember the way holding you those first few days made my heart feel, and that's pretty awesome.

It seems as if this has been a big month for you.  In the whole scheme of things, I'm not really sure that it has...but it definitely feels that way. 

The biggest change this month has happened in just the last week...you've become a crawler.  I have to laugh at myself sometimes...we only thought you were mobile with all that rolling.  Crawling has given you an entire new house to explore.  You're still not super fast, but you're getting better and better every day and have started to venture out of your typical "rooms."  Babe and Harry almost had a heart attack the first time you "escaped" from the playroom!  And now that you've discovered how to get from your corner of the living room all the way into the kitchen, there's no stopping you.

It's time for sweeping to become a daily habit around these parts.

You've also learned to clap this month and will do so whenever we say "yay!"  I'm pretty sure you learned how to clap from Ms. Ginnell, because Daddy and me sure didn't teach you.  In fact, you basically just started clapping one afternoon while we were playing around and that was pretty much that.  Your grin just opens up when you can tell you're making us smile and act goofy.  It's great.

Your table food diet has continued to expand.  You're still chowing down on a jar of baby food mixed with cereal at each meal time (although often for breakfast we'll give you yogurt) and we often couple that with pieces of anything we can find:  banana is still a favorite (as are puffs!), but we've added ground beef, blueberry pieces, french fries...whatever we can find, we pass your way.  Harris is terrified you're going to choke (you did have a little gagging spell once with some ground beef), but for the most part you're doing really well.

You've learned to say "da da" and will even look at Daddy when I ask you where he is, but I'm not sure you've associated the term with the actual person yet.  I heard a "ma" sound come out of your mouth tonight, so I'm fairly certain you'll be babbling my name within the next few days. 

You're still rocking a great schedule.  You're up for the day around 7:00 and are hanging on to a quick 30-45 minute catnap in the mornings.  Your big nap is typically from 1:00-3:00, with not much more sleep happening until we put you down for the evenings around 7:00.  Every once in a while, if we're in the car in the evening, you'll grab 10 or 15 minutes of shut eye, but if we're at home...you're full throttle playing.  You drink about 16 oz. of formula a day, usually in the form of a 6 oz. bottle in the morning and right before bed and two additional 4 oz. bottles throughout the day.

Daddy's in charge of getting you up, dressed, fed, and to Ms. Ginnell's in the morning.  I know he LOVES your "bonding" time.  Your favorite toy these days is your Playskool Doll House.  You love to play with the figurines as well as with the actual house and also spend a good deal of time trying to figure your way into Hadley's doll house as well.  I'm about to go on a serious get-the-big-kid-toys-out-of-your-reach mission.  I'm not really looking forward to it.

You've started to cry when we leave the room lately and when you're in the nursery at church or the gym, you work really, really hard to be held the entire time.  I don't blame you, though...it's good to be held every now and then.  :)

You continue to be full of personality, have quite the stubborn streak, and can still light up the room with that huge, gummy grin of yours.

We love you, Doe Doe.  Lots.

We've Got a Crawler!

Over the weekend, Emmy mastered the art of crawling.

Which means she's brought her mess-making skill to an entirely new level.

Help!

This Girl's Imagination.

We spent a little time at Granti's yesterday and Babe ended up coming home with this "Cinderella" dress.  (I'm guessing she's choosing to ignore the Camelot/pirate girl vest attached at the top).  She was beyond excited to put it on, fix her hair, and put on a "singing and dancing" show for us.  She even wore it to church last night and said, "I can't wait for Walker to see this dress."  She's a mess.

She's also got a phenomenal imagination.  She often pretends like she is any of these things on any given day:  Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Hot Lava Girl, a baby monkey/puppy/some other animal named Layla, a mother to a nine-month-old daughter named Harris, a ballerina, a Queen, a Star Wars Princess, a regular princess, Tiana, Ariel, Ms. Audra from Primrose...you name it, this girl can imagine herself being it.

And she goes all in. 

What fun it is to sit back and watch her play (as long as she doesn't know I'm watching!).

Gooooo Dawgs!

Even after Saturday's unbelievably hot game, I am beyond excited for football season.  Babe and Harry have both reached an age where they enjoy the whole experience of a game:  tailgating, cheering, understanding the basic rules of football, and anticipating upcoming Saturdays.  While it's a whole lot different than cheering for the Dawgs in college, I don't think I'd trade games with the kids for anything.  My attitude on that has certainly changed over the last couple of years...

We left for Athens bright and early on Saturday morning.  Poor Emmy Doe wasn't too happy at being left behind.  She and Auntie had fun together, though!

Because there was an early kickoff, we spent our tailgating time enjoying a breakfast of steak and eggs, bacon bites, blueberry bagels, and buffalo chicken dip.  The kids had a great time playing with the new tackling dummy, throwing the football, using sticks as light sabers (at one point Babe told me that Walker was her "master"), and going on a "nature walk."  Our tailgating spot is perfect for kids:  we've got a huge, enclosed, shady grassy area...a good time is had by all!  And yes, until Emmy Doe is potty trained, Babe does a great job holding her own as the only girl. :)

The walk to the game was HOT.  And it was only the beginning.  We stopped in the Lettermans' Club to hit up the bathroom and grab some water before heading into the stadium.  Our seats were actually moved further down this year, so we ended up a lot closer to the field.

It was great!  The kids were so much more involved in the game then they've ever been!  We could hear the cheerleaders, keep our eye on Hairy Dawg, and watch UGA score touchdown after touchdown from a great vantage point.  We even had a great view of the band at halftime and Hadley has decided that her new ambition in life is to be an endzone dancer for the Redcoats.  She's got some great moves.

Of course, we stuck it out for the entire game (thanks to lots of water and a Coke or two) and made it back to the van drenched in sweat.  I honestly thought I might hear a few complaints from the kiddos, and while they were exhausted, they both climbed in their seats already excited about the next home game.

I'm falling even more in love with football season.  Go Dawgs!

Chunk.

G-Braves.

Harris' elementary school hosted a fun night out at the Gwinnet Braves game last week.  The kids have really been getting into sports and sporting events lately, so of course they jumped at the chance to go to a baseball game.

And not only did we get to actually enjoy the game, but Harry and Babe also got to take their turn walking around the field!  The Braves ended up playing a double header that night thanks to earlier weather, so in between games the kiddos got to represent Harris' school.

I'm positive Hadley thought the entire parade was just for her.  The girl digs attention.  She ran and waved and high-fived and smiled and was most likely pretending she was the Braves Queen or something else along those lines...

Harris just soaked up time with his friends.  We ended up sitting by a little girl who rides his bus and they pretty much played together the whole evening.  He also got in a little crotch-grabbing while on the field...

That's Kindergarten at its finest, folks.

Emmy Doe simply hung around with Ben for the majority of the game.

After the parade, we finished up our ballpark dinner and headed for home. 

Not a conventional way to kick off the start of college football season, but a not bad one, either...