The tooth fairy came to visit!

The tooth fairy came!!!  I can't believe that my baby girl has lost her first tooth!  I found losing teeth to be the absolute most traumatic part of childhood.  I can still remember my parents tying a string around my tooth.  I would give it these little tugs and of course it wouldn't come out.  But here's the thing....once you put that string on the tooth you HAVE to pull it.  The string gets under the tooth and there is no way that thing will come off.  Since I still have nightmares concerning tooth loss (I have nightmares if I miss my bi annual dental check, no lie)  I told David I wanted no part in this area of parenting.  He said no to clipping nails so I put my foot down on pulling teeth. 

Saturday I noticed that the tooth really needed to come out.  Reese was able to wiggle it a lot and I thought it was ready.  So....since David was working the weekend I decided to put my big girl panties on and pull the darn tooth.  I couldn't get it out!!!!  I tried a washcloth, a paper towel, even my bare hand!  I did NOT try a string...they don't make big girl panties "brave" enough for me to go that far.  Reese was so ready for that tooth to come out but she lost her nerve when I couldn't get the damn thing out.  So, I gave up and decided that I really wasn't meant to pull the tooth. 

Fast forward to tonight and Reese was doing awful things with that tooth.  BLECH!  I can't even make myself write the way that tooth would flap around in her mouth.  David was working late and I knew that tooth had to come out.  I got Reese all bathed and ready for bed and as soon as David came through the door I told him to pull the tooth.  Well, I kind of made things harder by my attempts Saturday, Reese wanted NO part of it.  We got desperate and told her she could use a popsicle to numb her mouth.  This is at 8PM and we were giving her something sugar filled, we were that desperate.  She was crying and carrying on and she would get the nerve and David would get his hand in her mouth and she would pull away.  This went on for a good 20 minutes.  She finally decided that she would let David pull it if I would sit next to her and hold her hand.  NOOOOOOOOOOO!  I was actually hiding in another room and would peek and see how things were going.  I seriously wanted no part in this.  But, I got my big girl panties back out, put them on, and headed out to be super mom.  I had Rowie in my lap and I held Reese's hand.  I had my head turned as far as it would go so I wouldn't have to see.  David got a hold of it and out it came!  Reese was ecstatic.  She ran around the house because she was so excited.  She called my mom and talked about how brave she was.  She even showed the tooth to Rowan and said "See this, this is a tooth.  You will get one of these one day."  She then wanted me to take a bunch of pictures of her and her tooth.  It was so tiny!

I see this as a rite of passage and that Reese really is becoming a little girl.  *sniff sniff*

Atlanta Botanical Garden

I decided to take the day off so after Reese's honor roll ceremony mom and I took Rowie to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  They were having their orchid exhibit and we have a membership.  I signed Reese up for a summer day camp since she won't be in daycare this summer.  Here are a few pictures that I took.  I wasn't really inspired that day so I didn't get any great shots, but here are the ones that I did take.  Mom and I got a very good work out that day because Rowie decided she wanted to be held.  HEAVY GIRL!



I have tried every visit to take a picture of this one area of the greenhouse.  There are these roots (I guess) that hang from the top and create a canopy effect.  I keep trying to capture it but I'm starting to think it's impossible!

Honor Roll!!!

I am very proud to announce that Reese got her report card and she is on honor roll again.  She does have issues with her talking but honestly look who her mommy is!  I honestly think it's in her genes.  She didn't have to wear her uniform that day and got to wear a skirt and her "R" shirt.  The outfit is from Squeaks and Beeps which has cute stuff!  She got the outfit when I did those pictures and she was a model for the clothing.  Anyway, she got to go on stage and receive her award and then afterwards they had refreshments.  She was so proud that her mommy, daddy, and baby sister were there.  I was standing on the side and I just watched her with her friends.  She got very excited and kept pointing at me and Rowie standing by the wall.  She said "See her!  See!!  That is my baby sister!  See right there with the wobbly head!"  She then demonstrated for her friends, LOL.  It's funny how observant she is. 

She found us in the audience.  I love that she is still at the age where she claims us.  :-)

Crazy Reese

These pictures are back from when I posted a picture of my little chunker in the bath tub.  That same night Reese wanted her picture taken and she just started acting CRAZY for the camera.  David won't let me post a lot of them because her shirt is off and he says she is too old for me to be putting that on blast on the internet.  But here is one of my crazy girl.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

David and I have never been big on Valentine's day but I do look forward to my truffles each year!  We let Reese pick out where we would all go as a family for dinner and she chose Five Guys.  OK, whatever you want!  Mom and Dad joined us as well and we had a yummy dinner of burger and fries.  I was surprised that some many other families did the same thing as well.  Rowie was content and Reese was well behaved so it was a nice family outing.

I bought a Valentine themed tutu to take pictures of Rowie so I enlisted David's help yesterday.  I can't say he was exactly thrilled but he humored me for as long as Rowie allowed.  Be prepared for overload as I can never decide which ones to share.

My little Buddha baby

Hands are yummy!  This is her favorite thing to do now that she has discovered her hands.

Making eyes with the camera

Drip!  She's a drooling queen!

Giving daddy her best smiles!

David hated the hat that I made :-)

I wanted to take pictures of the girls together so I had Reese lay down and she just started posing.  She cracks me up sometimes!  She either wants her picture taken or she's irritated by it.  It could have something to do with the popcycle that I had promised her. :-)

This is my absolute FAVE picture.  I just love the glint in her eyes that she is up to no good yet innocent at the same time.

So after I took a few of Reese I decided how I wanted to shoot the girls together.  Well, what I wanted didn't really work out.  I wanted Reese on her back and then Rowie laying on top of her.  Rowie had other ideas and wouldn't lay her head down and then she was drooling all over Reese.  Reese DID NOT like that!  Plan B.  I'd just have her sit in Reese's lap.  Well, by this time Rowie was tired of being naked (thank GOD she didn't pee on Reese) and was hungry.  I got one picture semi in focus and then all hell broke loose.  Rowie pulled Reese's hair and pinched her.  Now I have been the recipient of a Rowie pinch and they do hurt!  Reese was such a trooper and she tried so hard to still smile and take the picture.  I'm going to have to try again another day!

Freezing Time

Sometimes I wish that I could just freeze time for just a little while!  Rowie is growing up way too fast.  As a first time mom I was so anxious for Reese to get to the next stage.  I'm trying to take things slow with Rowan and just go with the flow.  I wish I could keep her my little baby for a little longer.  This week she has started to really reach for things and bat at them.  She knows how to put her yummy fingers in her mouth (still refuses a paci) and can sit up supported.  She is only 3 months old!!  I'm afraid she's going to be walking at 10 months at the rate she is going.  This is my last baby and I just want to slow things down!  She has rolls everywhere that are just completely adorable,  scrumptious cheeks that I wonder how in the world her neck can support, and the cutest baby butt cellulite!  She's just a little porker and I love every squishy bit of her!

Reese is growing up way too fast as well.  She no longer has a baby face and she has the body of a little girl.  There isn't a roll of baby fat anywhere on her.  She's so smart and can do multiplication tables, read, add/subtract, and so much more.  She's very animated and will talk your head off.  We went to dinner a few nights back and a couple made the mistake of striking up a conversation with her.  She preceded to tell them that Rowie is "0" and that she has a soft spot.  But don't worry!!!  That soft spot will grow together.  Her full name is Rowan Christine Hall and that she doesn't have any teeth.  I could go on and on.  So, if you see us out and about my suggestion to you is just ignore us and run the other way!