7 Months Old!

Our little Missy turned a sweet seven months somewhere between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Amarillo, Texas, during our big move from California to the midwest. 

This month was a whirlwind, Charlie Ann.  Looking back, I have no idea how we managed to carry on sleep training (aka, keeping you on a schedule) start solid foods, host two parties, host extended family for two weeks, celebrate Jarod's graduation, say goodbyes to friends, pack up our entire apartment, move across seven states AND keep our sanity through it all! 


I would just like to give you, Little One, a round of applause.  You were a champ through all the transitions (especially the eight consecutive nights of sleeping in different cribs and places).  You truly are a flexible Sickler, Charlie Ann!!


Recapping the last month..  you are interested in EVERYTHING in the big, wide world around you.  In fact, you are as interested in your toys as you are with coffee beans in a bag. 

We are still very big fans of the Bumbo, as you are sitting up, but need a bit of an extra prop up still.  We use it ALL THE TIME... 

during play time...

during bath time...

during pool time...

and

for outdoor lunches.

Which brings us to solid foods...  

This month you are eating, bananas, brown rice cereal, avocados, pears and your absolute favorite, sweet potatoes.  We have some cute videos of your first tastes of bananas and sweet potatoes.  You are an eager eater.  I am so thankful.  We quickly jumped into solid lunches and solid dinners.  

Right now, your food schedule is like this: 

4am-nurse

7am-nurse

9am-nurse

11am-solids

1pm-nurse

3pm-solids

5pm-nurse

6pm-bottle

Basically, its nurse when you go to bed and solids when you wake up.  You are eating and eating and eating these solids.  Its so great.  Although, the output (aka poop) is not so great.  Pew, stinky!  I am now considering using one of those handy diaper genies...

 Well, it finally happened, Charlie Ann!  Dad finished his Master's degree!  Here we are celebrating after the ceremony.

Shortly after Dad's graduation, you got sick.  You had to sleep with your mouth open in order to breathe, you always sleep with your paci otherwise.

It was another sneezing, runny nose, low grade fever, coughing colds.  Enough to keep you up at night, if you werent being held.  So Dad and I alternated every four hours through out the night of holding you upright and rocking.  Then, to put a little icing on the cake.. Mom and Dad got sick too.  So EVERYONE at 851 Citrus Drive was out of sorts and a bit crabby.  

While sick, packing was still in order.  You helped Mom pack by playing with toys and clean clothes in the laundry basket.  You staying in there for almost two hours, busy as a bee, while I packed ALL your things.  Thank you!

This is about thirty minutes before our walk through with our apt manager.  You are sitting really well by yourself, Little Girl!  Good job.   You also stayed with a dear friend ALL DAY while we packed up every last bit and loaded the truck.  What a blessing it was to have you taken care while we tied up all the loose ends.  

And off we go!

You did SO SO SO well during our four day journey across the United States.  You played and slept and even ate in your carseat like a champ.  No one would have had a clue how much you hated this seat about five short months ago.  You are growing up :)

Grandpa flew into LA to help us drive the long drive.  Grandpa, me and you had a fun time in the Pilot, while Dad managed the moving truck.  You were such a trooper during all those hours in the car.

About one week prior to the move, I started supplementing nursing with formula.  When it's time, it's time.  And we definitely knew it was TIME.  :)  You are a rather impatient little girl when it comes to meal time.  So the bottle worked best.  And now, with premixed up formula, we just screwed on the top and bam!  Perfect for a road trip :)  And it was nice for you to get to eat with Grandpa.

 This is the day you turned seven months.  Mom and you celebrated the occasion by taking your first swim at the Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, Texas.  It was a bit cold, but you had a VERY fun time.

We love you little Missy, and look forward to many new things ahead :)

This is it, folks.

We load the truck at 9:30am tomorrow morning.  Cant believe our California chapter closes in less than 24 hours, so bittersweet.  

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Also, one of the "sweet" parts of the bittersweet included our good friends, Patrick and Anne and Baby Hudson bringing us dinner tonite.  We sat by the pool and a fun last visit.  

The guys and the babies.

6 Months Old!

Little Missy Moo, you turned 6 months old last week!  I feel as tho I say this every update... but each month with you just gets better and better and more fun!  I love you, munchie!

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On our way to lunch in Downtown Brea... you are AMAZING in the car seat now.  It's actually hard to remember that you used to scream like mad in that seat a few months back.  --SO glad you are over that phase since we have a million mile road trip coming up.... :)

This is probably the biggest accomplishment this month.  We started sleep training you!  Yes, Mama was very ready to reclaim her bed at night and not hold a napping child.  Actually, let me rephrase... I didnt mind co-sleeping or holding a napping baby..  it was when I was NOT sleeping at night, and you were taking shorter and fewer naps and getting crankier and crankier due to less sleep.   It was at that point that I knew it was time.  And girl, are you a competitor!!  Phew!  But actually though, within a week, you were taking two 2hr naps (sometimes three naps) and sleeping 7pm-7pm with one 4:30am feeding.  We bathe you, feed you, rock you, lullaby you, and lay you down sleepy, but awake and you got to sleep, BY YOURSELF!  **MIRACLE!!**  You ROCK, Charlie Ann.  I am so proud of you for adjusting quickly and jumping on that sleep train!  (I HIGHLY recommend this book for assistance)

You went through a long phase of making that silly face on the left... funny girl.  And yes, we have a flapper!  Look out, she might take off any minute.

Practicing sitting - look at that tripod action!

On a blanket outside by the pool.  You LOVE to be outside and are quite interested in the flowers and palm trees and the fountains.

You love tummy time now too.  It is so fun to watch you grab and reach for toys.  And then even more fun to watch you try to eat all those toys.  Everything goes straight to the kisser.

Buddies.  You and your doggie have good times together... especially now that you are little Rolly McGee.  You roll right off your play mat and over to Taiga quite often.  

This was at Jarod's Philosophy Conference.  You did pretty good through all of the reception, the nice dinner and about half of the speaker.  Then Mommy realized she had pushed things a little too far and paid for it dearly that night.  My fault for sure.  You are insistent upon that 7pm bedtime now.  

Daddy daughter love :)

Mommy daughter love :)

 The Bumbo (made in South Africa?!  who knew?!!!) is our favorite new thing!  {Thanks Laura, for letting us borrow it while you wait for your little girl's arrival in July!}

We also started strapping you into your swing... or else this happens.  Hmm.  Sorry Charlie Ann, we arent really neglectful parents, I promise. 

Loving life.

Not loving life.

You and your buddy Hudson! You guys are totally into each other!  Okay, Mom wont embarrass you.... but you have already held hands :)

This is like the MOST FUN THING EVER: SOLID FOODS!!! You are a champ with them.  This is right after your very first "bite" - it was bananas and you LOVED it.   You then proceeded to make impatient "uhs" until you got another spoonful.  You look like a sweet little bird opening up for that spoon.  SO CUTE.  Also, I totally recommend this book for the solid food endeavor.

These last two pictures were taken on Mother's Day. You are the sweetest little daughter and you make being a Mama the best job ever.  Love you, Missy!  

Spring Tea

Every year, the Talbot Wives host a lovely, LOVELY Spring Tea in Redondo Beach.  This year, I was feeling much more myself and had a wonderful time.  (Last year at the Spring Tea, I was about 13 weeks pregnant and so incredibly sick.  I was miserable shade of pistachio green and I sat fanning myself from nausea, even tho it was a chilly 60 degrees outside).  Needless to say, this year was superb.

The sky was blue and the sun was warm and we had a wonderful morning (a baby free morning, mind you) with great conversations and many lessons in hospitality.  I think everyone was encouraged to reach down and embrace their very own inner Martha Stewart by the time it was said and done.

The tea included several courses of savories, scones with clotted cream and of course cupfulls and cupfulls of tea with sugar cubes and floating flowers.  And of course it was all served on beautiful, heirloom, "real" tea sets.  It was lovely.  Simply lovely.

Stephani and I (we have baby girls about two weeks apart).  

Stephani, Me, Sarah, Darcie, Haylee & Danielle

Tea and Sugar cubes with Floating Fondant Flowers.

Jenny, Sarah, Tiffany (who had baby Maddie!) and Stephani

Crystalinda, Jill, Sara & Karen

Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I was perusing the ol' interweb looking for "just the right" recipe for cookies this afternoon.  Hmpf.  Didn't find at all what I was wanting.  SO.. what else to do than come up with my own, yeah?  I just might add that they turned out DELISH!


Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
3/4 cp turbinado sugar
1 cp dark brown sugar
1 cp softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cp all purpose flour
1/2 cp whole wheat flour
2/3 cp flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp china cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
3 cps rolled oats
2 cps raisins


1. Blend sugars and butter until smooth. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
2. In separate bowl, combine flours, flax, soda and all spices.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.  Stir until combined.
4. Add oats and raisins.  Mix well.
5. Bake (in about 1 1/2 Tbsp balls) on greased cookie sheets at 375 for about 8-10 min.  Shorter for softer cookie, longer for crispier.
6. Allow to sit about 5 min on cookie sheet before transferring to rack or parchment paper.  Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

On a side note.. these are GREAT October cookies. Not necessarily May cookies :)  However, I'll still have one today with a little Earl Gray.