just some of Shelby's clothing for the Halloween season

11 week stats

Miss Shelby is now 12 lbs and 10 oz.

She is a whopping 24 and 1/4 inches long.

Her Dr. said she is the average height of a 5 month old.

it's the little things

It wasn't too long ago that while at a hotel we discovered Shelby's love for a round throw pillow.

I was telling Kate about it and she brought these to Shelby so she can continue the fun at home.

Lucky girl!!!

cupcakes

Here are picture of two little ladies I love to pieces enjoying cupcakes!!

before and after pics

Shelby on 8/17/10

Shelby on 10/13/10

Shelby on 8/22/10

Shelby on 10/13/10

and... a bonus "AWWWWW" moment. (Please excuse the lack of a diaper cover!)

the necklace

I used to have a necklace that looked like this.

It was a gift from my Mother that she gave me as my "Mommy Necklace" for becoming a Mom. I got it last December and wore it an anticipation of being a Mother. I took it off on 2/5/10 and gave it to Mr. D. who in turn has no idea what happened to it and we are assuming it was left behind at a hotel in the middle of no where Pennsylvania. None the less, bygones are bygones and this necklace is bygone.

Fast forward to much happier times. My mother offered to buy me a new "Mommy Necklace". I declined because she has done more than you can imagine in helping us with our adoption. It wasn't something I "needed" and I feel horrible for losing the last necklace.

On a side note, I take LOTS of pictures of Shelby. I can't always reach my camera so many of the everyday pictures are on my camera phone. I send frequent text pictures out. On September 8th, I texted out this sweet picture of Shelby.

Last week, my Mother gave me a "going back to work necklace" and here is what it looks like....

I absolutely positively LOVE it! The pendant has Shelby full name inscribed on the back. It is truly one of my most cherished possessions.

Fall

I am sure you all expected a dry spell after reading three post from me yesterday. But.... I am posting again today!! I just remembered I never posted pictures of our fall scenes outside.

The 31 days of trick of treating are not going very well. Everyone is just busy. I stopped buying candy because it was just sitting here and I was just eating it. Things may pick up later in the month. We are trying to plan our big annual Halloween party but we don't know if our city is doing Trick or Treating on Saturday or Sunday. It sure would make the planning easier if we knew. The good thing is this party has been going on for so many years, there is really nothing to "plan" other than who is cooking what. It's gonna be fun!

OH- She's one of "those"

I have a strong desire to make my own baby food. I received this awesome book as a shower gift.

It really has me thinking about that soon enough I will be making food for my precious little one. I am going to need some supplies before I do though. One thing that I know I need will be GLASS storage containers for her food. Here are some I am looking at, but I am not sure if these are "the ones" yet. I am also researching steamer/puree machines. I guess you can figure out what will be on my Christmas wish list this year. I may not be good at this, but I at least want to give it a try. If I am a failure, I will be the first to admit it.

Oh, and speaking of cool glass containers, look at this great pitcher my MIL Linda bought for me.

I love it!

The Abraham Lincoln chair

One day when Alice (age 5) was here we put Shelby in her Bumbo seat. Alice took one look at her and said "she look like Abraham Lincoln". So, that is how the Bumbo seat was renamed the Abraham Lincoln chair. Personally, I think Shelby looks way cuter than Abe.

5 hours later...

Our neglected goldfish pond went from this

to this

It was nice (and shocking) to see the fish again. They are truly resilient!

Shelby LOVES Similac

Thanks Nonnie!!

For Meredith

..... and all of the other Shelby fans in the world.
It's all fun and games until she hits herself in the nose!

Go HERE!

10 things you might not know about Shelby

1) Shelby currently has a little runny nose. She started it on Saturday which coincidently was the day that we spent most of the day outside getting our fall decor in place. She is much better today but had a few days where she didn't feel well and was cranky. She hates the nasal aspirator that we got at the hospital, but doesn't mind her battery operated one so much. (One of my favorite gifts!) Her smile is back today! We are dismissing this as seasonal allergies/cold/weather changing but as fast as she is growing I wouldn't be shocked at a tooth coming in. This girl likes to surprise us.

2) Shelby can roll from tummy to back (consistently) and from her back to her side (sometimes). She holds her head up very well. When on her tummy she will prop herself up on her elbows. She likes to sit up in your lap whenever she can. She even likes to sit up and drink her bottle sometimes. She can sit in her Bumbo seat, but is not 100% confident in it, so we just try it on occasion.

3) Shelby is now exclusively on the ready to feed Similac Advance. We had her on this at the hotel but had switched to the powder when we got home since it was more cost efficient for us. But, due to the recall they have temporarily lowered the price of the liquid and we are stocking up. With the $5 checks from Similac, and coupons you can print online, we are doing well. For anyone looking for great stocking stuffer ideas.......

.....get them while they are cheap (just check the expiration dates!)

4) Shelby is starting to sleep for longer periods in the night. She likes her crib and her lady bug light that is in it. She loves her mobile. She love to take naps in the day time too!

5) Shelby LOVES music! Charlie gave her a toy yesterday that plays music whenever it's just barely touched. So even though she isn't too coordinated yet, Shelby can make it come on. She loves it! It lights up too!

6) Shelby moved into size 2 diapers today. The diapers I like best for her are Huggies, though we are a "use what we have" kind of family. We have been blessed to have many people give us diapers!

7) Shelby loves her pacifier when she has it, but doesn't seem to miss it when she doesn't. When she does she is very loud sucking on it because she just loves it so much! Sometimes she sucks on it, sometimes she chews on it just depending on her mood I guess.

8) Shelby is still a sweat box. She get hot very easily and doesn't stand for it. She protest about 3 things- hunger, needing a diaper change or being hot! She is enjoying the cooler weather as long as we don't try to dress her in any thing more than we did in the summer time.

9) Shelby recently discovered her tongue. She spends lots of time sticking it in and out of her mouth. It's funny.

10) Mr. D. is Shelby's favorite reality tv show. She LOVES him and can't take her eyes off of him whenever he's around. She thinks he is the dog's bark (instead of cat's meow since he hates cats).

Our little pumpkin

.... gets her own little pumpkin

seven weeks and counting

Sometimes I wish I had an eye camera, you know a camera that could just take pictures of the things I could see with my eyes but can't use my hands to take a picture. Here are some pictures from my cell phone. They aren't the best but they really show how Shelby has grown. I try and send frequent pictures to all of her loved ones who are far away so that they can enjoy her as much as we do. Please note, some of these pictures are just to be silly!

Birth week

one week old

two weeks old

three weeks old





four weeks old

five weeks old

six weeks old

seven weeks old