When Mommy and Daddy Go Out...

A few days ago, Andrew took me out for a belated birthday dinner while we left Holly with my parents for an evening of fun. We grown-ups had a great time. We tried a new pizza place, Grimaldi's, at the newly remodeled mall. Then we relaxed and window-shopped until we couldn't justify being away any longer. It was so much fun to get out and relax without the baby!

Holly also had a grand time with her Mimi and Poppie. They let her do all sorts of things that we don't, so she was dying to get away from me when I dropped her off. My mom sent us this picture of Holly enjoying her new favorite treat! Andrew wanted to know how many strands of beads she got in exchange for posing for this picture.

Trip to San Antonio

Last weekend (my birthday weekend), Holly and I joined my parents on a trip to San Antonio to visit with my uncle who was down from Ohio for the week. Poor Andrew was on call and ended up working all weekend, so he had to stay home. We had a great, if very tiring, time. Here are a few highlights from the weekend.


When we went out to lunch on Friday, I forgot Holly's bib in the car (which was very far away, since we were on the Riverwalk). So I used a cloth napkin to make a bandana-bib for her. My little cowgirl!



We went to Rivercenter Mall, which has a fairly sizeable Disney Store. Holly went straight for this stuffed Minnie Mouse, which was bigger than she was. She wrestled it to the ground, then dragged it around the store with her, bumping into people and tripping over Minnie the whole way. It was hilarious! But socially unacceptable. (Something very difficult to teach a one-year-old.)


Saturday afternoon we went to HemisFair Park and took the elevator up to the top of the needle thingy. I forget the actual name for it. Anyway, we found this mechanical horse on our way out and decided to let Holly ride it. Don't let this picture fool you; she loved it! I just looked better in this one.

We had a great time visiting with family, but were thoroughly worn out and ready to come home. Thanks for the great time, guys!

Holly-isms

Holly is such a good little helper around the house. She will go get diapers and wipes, pick up toys off the floor (sometimes), and she likes to "help" with folding the laundry.


By her definition, helping Mama fold laundry consists of grabbing things out of the laundry basket and wrapping them around herself. If they are still warm from the dryer, all the better. I don't mind, though--I figure this will give way to actually helping with the laundry soon enough.

A few weeks ago, Andrew decided to give Holly a bath in our new kitchen sink. This previously had not worked out so well, but now she loves it! It's just the right size. Andrew leaves the water on really low and she splashes around and slurps water out of the faucet. Good times!


She has also started getting in touch with her "baby" side. The swing has been rediscovered, and last week I took the bouncy seat out for a friend's baby. Holly has made a habit of sitting in it herself like it's a recliner.


That little girl is under there somewhere! She grabs her sippy cup, a stuffed animal, and just hangs out in there. It will be a nasty surprise when the baby comes in a few months and takes her recliner away from her.

Okay, now for some sappy stuff: We love this baby too much! She gets sweeter every day, and we love her more and more every day. I think it's amazing how that happens. I love her so much more now than I did even a few months ago, and I'm sure that love will grow and grow. It's incredible! (Now I've got that sappy nonsense out of my system. Phew!)

Still to come: pictures of our new, renovated kitchen! It's a mess right now, but cleaning it is on my to-do list today. Then, pictures! Sorry it's taken so long, but you know how it goes--life got in the way.