She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow...

Bikini!! We bought Cora a swimming pool today and the perfect accessory to go with it--a bikini!  Its not actually yellow, though.  More aqua.  Her pool is one with inflatable rings instead of walls.  Its large enough for Geron and I to get in with her and have plenty of room for her to play.  She absolutely loves her pool!!  I don't know how long I let her play in it, but she loved every minute of it.  Of course being the swimmer that I am, I had to let her go under the water a few times so she would learn to love water, too.  She didn't fuss a bit.  She splashed and floated and jumped--while holding on to the side of the pool, of course, or Mommy or Daddy. If you need a baby to take a nap, just put them in the pool for half an hour and let them wear themselves out.  Cora took a great nap this afternoon and is taking another as I type.  Swimming pools are da bomb!

 

P.S. For you worry warts out there, I lathered Cora in sunblock 50 before we went out so no burns there. 

Yelling and other things

Cora loves to yell.  She discovered her voice quite awhile ago, but has just recently learned how she can make it loud or soft.  She really enjoys making it LOUD.  Yesterday was no exception.  On the way to work, once again, she was letting her presence be known in the backseat--yelling away--not angry, just yelling because she thinks its fun.  Louder and louder she grew.  Geron and I couldn't hear the radio nor each other.   "EEEEAAAAGHH!  EEEEAAAAGHH!  EEEAAAAGH!" she'd holler over and over again-joyfully, mind you-at the top of her lungs. Finally, Geron said "Cora, you need to stop that now.  You need to quiet down. " Without a second's pause "EEEEAAAGH....EEEEAAAAAGH....EEEEAAAAGH".  Of course we lost it.  I don't know if she knows she's that funny or what, but she cracks us up. 

 

Also, in the Cora news this week, she is ready to crawl.  I'm sure it is only days away now.  Scooting is getting old.  She's taken to rolling over to get to wherever she wants to go.  Remember rolling down a nice big grassy hill when we were kids?  She kind of looks like that as she rolls across the living room floor.  Most of the time she'll roll right under Geron's recliner and I have to come from wherever I am to get her so he can get out of the chair.  Now, she can stay up on her hands and knees for quite awhile, but doesn't go anywhere.  In fact, if we put her in that position, she'll stay there until she's ready to sit down and she'll put herself in a sitting position.  Or, if she's tired, she'll just plop that belly right down onto the floor--and then we get the fish out of water dance.  Funny to watch Geron imitate, too. 

 

Pulling up--another big milestone she is desperately trying to do.  Her sitter says that they discovered yesterday Cora is the one pulling all the plastic bins off the shelves--perhaps in her efforts to pull up, or perhaps because she's a little turkey.  Now, she's wanting to pull up on the soap shelf in our tub.  Not gonna happen,  She also tries on the bumper of her crib and is unsuccessful, of course. 

 

Cora is growing sooooooo fast.  People told me this would happen, but noone can tell you exactly how quickly it happens.  I'm relishing these moments while she's still not really crawling because soon she will be into everything.  My absolute favorite moments are still just holding her when she first doses off to sleep.  So precious.  I'm so thankful for my beautiful little girl. (My beautiful little HAM of a little girl.)

Update on temperament

Yeah, so all those prayers Geron mentioned for Cora to have my temperament? Unanswered! I think we have a little Geron on our hands.  Lately, whenever we're riding in the car, well, pretty much any time she's awake, Cora is LOUD, LOUD, LOUD.  Geron and I sit in the front trying to talk about whatever is on our mind and we hear "Aagheeeeeaaaaabuhbuhbuh Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaagh buh buh buh buh pbstpbpbpbpbpbststststssssst" (Hard to write the sound of one blowing spit bubbles, but you get the point.)  Geron mentioned the other morning "I thought your parents said you were a quiet baby."    I responded "They did.  SHe gets that from YOU!"  Yes, Cora loves to talk and I think sing---seems to be what she's doing in the car, anyway.  I'm sure if we listened to a music radio station as opposed to Geron's favorite talk radio shows, we'd probably get some actual melodies coming from the backseat.  Whatever the case and whosever the temperament, we have a very happy LOUD little girl who is tons of fun to have around!

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was awesome!! We went to church--I got to play the piano for a change because the pianist was out of town, yea!!  After church, we had lunch at a cajun seafood place downtown.  Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo=YUM!  Following lunch, we headed to the older Browns home for some cheesecake and a good long nap.  Some might say that was a waste, but it was a real blessing to get to sleep that long!  We topped the day off with a trip to Coolidge Park, downtown.  One of the best sites in Chattanooga, if you ask me.  Cora and I rode the carousel twice.  She really seemed to enjoy it.  Best gift I got?  My Beautiful baby girl, of course!

A new invention

Cora loves to play with her rubber duckies, fish, and other toys during her bath. Tonight was no exception.

As I started her bath, I walked into her room to get her other ducky. I could see her head the whole time I was away from the tub, so I wasn't concerned about leaving her for just a few seconds. When I went back into the bathroom, I noticed her green rubber ducky was missing. I looked around her small tub and still didn't see it. She was playing so quietly with her other toys and didn't seem to care that her green ducky was now missing in action. I asked "Where's your green duck, Cora?" She continued playing, not paying me a bit of attention. I asked again "Cora, where's your green duck?" This time, she looked up at me. In place of her sweet little rose bud mouth was a big green duck bottom. The whole head was inside her mouth. She looked as if she were wanting to say "I like this paci, Mommy".

Its a quackifier.

Good Morning, Mommy

Cora is finally sleeping through the night!!! The last few nights she's made it all the way through the night, meaning from 10:30 to 7:00.  I don't know about you other baby mommies out there, but for me this amount of time is really good. 

 

Part of the credit of her sleeping is due to Zyrtec, I'm sure.  Cora has had crud off and on throughout her young life, leading to ear infection after ear infection, it seems.  This week, we hit ear infection number 4.  And as in the past, it was not obvious to us what was going on.  No ear-pulling from this little chic.  No, instead, on Wednesday night she drank her bedtime bottle and then projectiled it across the loveseat and rug.  I put her to bed and she slept through most of the night, no vomitting.  Thursday morning she ate breakfast and then projectiled it across the dining room.  At that point, we decided to pay a visit to our friend, Doctor Ben, a pediatrician who attended the same elementary school as me in Frankfort.  Anyhoo, Doctor Ben diagnosed Cora with an ear infection and said the vomitting may have been due to the middle ear issue.  She started Amoxycillin right away.  We also started her on Zyrtec since this crud had been going on for quite a while.  Since then she has slept through the night every night and it is a beautiful thing. 

 

So, to get to the "Good Morning, Mommy" title--this morning Geron and I were up before Cora.  Geron up before Cora is saying a LOT! HA!  I peeked in her room on the way to the restroom to see if any little feet or arms would kick or wave over the bumper of her crib.  Nothing.  I continued on to the restroom.  When I came out, I checked her room again.  A beautiful little face was peeking at me over the rail of the crib as if to say "Good morning, Mommy!"  I told Geron to come quick and look.  We stood in awe at her door, thinking our baby girl had pulled herself up into a sitting position on her own for the first time.  I walked over to the crib.  She was laying on her belly, holding herself up with her hands.  Either way, its the cutest thing I've seen in a long time, possibly ever, and it made for a very good morning.

Our daughter, the flirt

Cora has started something out way too early--flirting, that is.  We attended my cousin's wedding and reception this weekend.  At said wedding, there were several baby boys, older boys, men of all ages, and not all single.  This did not stop Cora from her "pursuit of happiness".  Whether he'll admit it or not, Geron has a daddy's girl on his hands who is BOY CRAZY!  She loved on her grandpa and her uncles, Everett and Daniel.  She loved on my cousins, David and Virgil.  She loved on the bridesmaids' husbands and the groom.  She flirted at the rehearsal with a little boy about twice her age (not old, considering she's only 8 months.).  But the kicker came on Saturday at the reception.  Mom (Granny) was holding Cora and standing next to a lady holding her what appeared to be 1 or 2 year old little boy.  Cora grabbed his face, pulled him close and planted a big wet one on him.  She did it several times! He appeared to enjoy it and I KNOW she did!  I'm afraid she's starting VERY early and I'm worried that I'm going to get paid back for a lot of trouble I caused my parents...Anyone have a muzzle for babies?