The thumb sucker

Yes, Carolyn found her thumb .... perhaps this is why she has been sleeping so well lately. Last night, I heard her cry twice, but just one little sqeak each time - not enough to even check on her. This morning, she did the same thing. When I went in to check on her, she was soundly asleep with a thumb in her mouth. I figured she would be a thumb sucker.

Sleeping Baby, but Sleepless Mother

Since September 10, Carolyn has been sleeping through the night. Typically, she will fall asleep in her crib sometime between 9:30 and 11pm, and will sleep until at least 6am, a few days until 8:30 or 9 in the morning. I think we are averaging about 9 hours per night, while her longest night was nearly 11 hours. Since it has happened 12 nights in a row, I assume this is a pattern, rather than a fluke.

Now, I am wondering how long it will take my body to adjust to her skipping that middle of the night feeding... let's just say that I have A LOT of milk to give her in the morning when she finally wakes up. And, unfortunately I have not been able to abandon my middle-of-the-night waking. I continue to wake up every few hours, ready to feed her. I am sure when I finally get used to sleeping through the night again, she will begin teeting or get a cold, which will take us back to the disrupted nights. Oh well. I will take it when I can get it.

Carolyn Stays with a Babysitter; Becky Goes Out for the Night

Carolyn stayed with her babysitter, Mikala, for the first time tonight. I am pretty sure she fussed a bit, but she's a baby and that is what they do in the evenings, especially when their momma is not around. Mikala said she would be happy to come back, so I doubt Carolyn was all that bad.

Steve is out of town and I enjoyed a night out with the 'girls' ... we met at The Metropolitan, a swanky restaurant downtown, for cocktails and appetizers. We then went to the Gallery Stroll and ended the night with chocolate and cheese fondue from the Melting Pot. I had a lot of fun and never once thought about calling to check on Carolyn while I was out. I was not too worried leaving Carolyn because Mikala is very qualified -- on paper, she is way more qualified than I am to take care of a child. Plus, Nikki quickly met her before we left and she said she got a good feeling from her, too.

As much as I enjoyed going out tonight, I was so happy to see my sweet little girl when I got home. She was sound asleep in her crib. I really wanted to pick her up and hold her, but I did not have the heart to disturb her. It will make it all the more special when she wakes up in the morning.

Happy 3-Month Birthday

The little bird is three months old today. She is happy as ever and is beginning to sleep for longer stretches over night (9 hours last night!). Recently, she has started sitting in her Bumbo chair and she continues to take a daily nap in her swing. She babbles a lot, but does not yet show much interest in reaching for toys or rattles. Her favorite activity is standing on her feet. She also loves it when someone talks or sings to her, and she has been enjoying the short daily hikes we have been taking lately. We are waiting for a chuckle to come out of her mouth when she gives us those ear-to-ear mouthy smiles. She is such a doll.

Ridding my Lawn of the Million Little Oak Tree Shoots

I have tried absolutely everything and nothing will stop the oak trees from sending up new shoots in my flower beds. So, today, I hired a stump grinder .... let's hope this works! It ought to at least slow the new growth down for a few years, maybe forever.

Carolyn, Meet Your Grandparents

Steve's parents came to visit, September 3-10.

This was their first time meeting Carolyn.

Of course, they fell in love immediately.

On September 8, we celebrated Steve's 42nd birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary.

Steve Turns 42

To celebrate Steve's birthday this year, I rented a pavilion at a local park and organized a day of games, including the Izzy Dizzy Bat Race, an egg toss, and tug o' war. We also played volleyball and horseshoes, while enjoying Kentucky Fried Chicken and homemade strawberry shortcake. Kids, adults, and dogs all had a good time.

All bundled up

On September 3, we went to our last concert at Red Butte Gardens for the summer. We saw Al Green (who, by the way, still has a flock of women rushing the stage to hug him). The temperatures in the canyon drop pretty quickly once the sun goes down, so Carolyn had to get all bundled up in the hat and booties that Dee Dee made for her.