The Johnson Uncles Visit

We had such a fun weekend having both my "little" brothers come visit us.  Savannah had them eating out of the palm of her hand.  I've come to learn that she has that effect on men in particular :)  They all cater to her every whim.

Heading out to the BBQ at the Club

Uncle Harlan, what are you talking about?!

Uncle Harlan loves to take the glamour shots.

They're two of a kind--yikes!!

I definitely think Savannah favors the Johnson side--check out the similarities.

Bubble Time

She's gonna get this one!

Keep blowing Uncle Harlan! More bubbles!!

They're such proud uncles!

The boys being boys.

Taken right before they leave. Can you see the uncles' puffy eyes? They say it's "allergies" but we think they're a little sad to go.

This little one is definitely not happy to see them go!

Uncle Harlan and Uncle Michael please come back! I miss you!!

We can't wait to go to Houston in July to visit the entire Johnson family!  We hate living so far away from everyone :(

The Smallest Alvarez's

For those of you who don't know, since I rarely mention them, we have two tiny teacup chihuahuas.  They are definitely the smallest members of the Alvarez family.  And though they may not be mentioned often, they are usually at the center of everything.

Believe it or not, they are brother and sister separated by one litter.  Yes, Lilly is a long-haired chihuahua and Max is....well, he's kinda bald on top with short hair everywhere else.  I've had them both since they were born so they're actually my first babies.  Lilly will be 7 years old next month and Max will be 6 in July.  Just to give you a sense of how big they really are, Lilly is about 8 lbs and Max is a whopping 1 lb 8 oz (on a good day).  They both are really the sweetest little dogs and they are as different as night and day.  Lilly is the prissy, attention-seeking one.  She's always in the middle of everything and she can't stand to be ignored.

Lilly Belle (aka Furry Butt)

Max is much more chill.  He really kinda sticks to himself.  He's my little baby and before Savannah came along, he was always attached to me.

Maxwell (aka Little Man)

Unfortunately he's had to take a back seat to her.  The first few months were a little rough.  Max wouldn't even come near me and he always growled at the baby.  Now they both get close enough for Savannah to pull Lilly's hair and Max's tail and ears.  Pretty soon she's going to be chasing after them.  

First time meeting Savannah

They're slowly becoming friends.

Here are a few random pictures of them over the years.

Best friends

Maxwell doing what he does best--laying out in the sun.

That's Buster, my mom's chihuahua, with him.

Visiting the relatives, Libby and Buster.

Road trip from Chicago to NYC.

He had trouble finding lap space by the 8th month.

At one of my baby showers.

I'm trying to track down some of their puppy pictures.  They were both such cute little fur balls and they could fit in the palm of your hand.  I'll post them if I can ever find them.  I think that box got lost in the move...hmmmm :(

Loving the Sixth Month

We are absolutely loving the 6th month!!  Don't get me wrong, every month has been great but this one has been especially fun.  Since we're in between the infant and toddler stage we're getting the best of both stages.  She still LOVES to be held ALL THE TIME but she's also developing a very independent big-girl attitude.  She has even started demonstrating some of the the terrible 2s (ugh!!).

Here are some of the things Savannah is doing this month:
1. She is such a busy body--constantly grabbing and reaching for everything! She's always in motion.
2. She has finally learned to roll from front to back and back to front but she still favors one side.
3. She loves eating any and every thing! She is partial to fruits and of course she loves her cookies.  And watch out if you're not quick enough feeding her because she'll start yelling at you! What can I say, she likes her food :)

4. Unfortunately she's still not sleeping through the night but at least she's on a steady schedule.  She's asleep by 8, up at 1 and 4, and ready for the day by 6:30.
5. She has become an excellent trainer for Mommy.  Every morning within an hour and a half of waking she's ready to get in the jogger and head for the roads.  Even on mornings when Mommy would like to go back to bed, she throws herself a fit and won't stop until we're out.  She's definitely the most consistent training partner I've ever had!

6. She loves to give open mouth kisses!  I love when she lunges at me with her mouth wide open--she's like a little vampire :)
7. She is quite the water baby.  She has always loved taking baths and now she loves going to the pool.  She kicks and splashes wildly and she loves to be bounced up and down in the water.  I can't wait for our Mommy and Me swim lessons next month (pics to follow)!!

Just another day in the life of being a baby.

Seriously Mom! I'm kinda busy here!!

8. She loves her early morning cartoons.  We may be doing something in another room but as soon as she hears the Mickey Mouse songs she starts jumping all around trying to find the TV.  Her little face just lights up to the HotDog Dance and to the Special Agent Oso song.  I think musicals are going to be a big hit in our house pretty soon :)
9. We've got a little chatterbox on our hands.  She may not be talking with words but she's talking nonetheless.  And she does it VERY LOUDLY and usually at the most inappropriate times.
10. She's never been attached to her paci but she used to take it at night to help her stay asleep after nursing.  Not anymore! She absolutely refuses to take it and she screams through gritted gums waiting for me to back down and pick her back up.  Usually it's a fight that she wins but I'm slowly gaining on her.
11. She can sit up without support but because she's so easily distracted, she still sometimes falls to the side.

12. She loves doing the Super-Savannah pose.  Let's hope she's not like her Uncle Harlan once was and think she can fly. I can see it now--my little princess running around wearing a pink cape :)

I'm SUPER SAVANNAH!!

Notice her first boo-boo....of course that's a princess band-aid.

13. I finally left her alone with someone other than Grams or Daddy.  Yes, I left her in the nursery at church and it was the longest 65 minutes of my life.  I have absolutely no clue what the sermon was about because I kept staring at my watch.  Of course she did wonderful and the nursery workers didn't want her to leave but that's all I could handle for one day.

14. We had our first play date last week with my friend, Jansey's two girls.  She was on her best behavior the whole time and even came home and took a 2 hour nap--all that interacting must have worn her out.

Here is how my big girl stacks up this month:

        Age: 6 months 10 days

        Height: 27 inches (80%)

        Weight: 20 lbs 13 oz (still off the charts >97%)

         Head cir: I forgot this one but I know it's 76%

Such a big girl!

Wow! I really am getting big!!

So we slowed down from our usual 2 lbs a month gain but we're still one chunky bunny.  The doctors say we're totally healthy and we're good to go until the 9th month.  Savannah is still in size 3 diapers and for the most part still wears 6-12 month clothes (except swimsuits--she's in 12-18month...ugh!).  I can't believe how quickly she is growing!  It's hard to believe we're halfway to a year already!  

Our First Mother's Day

This year I feel especially blessed on Mother's Day not only to have a wonderful mother of my own but also because I have a beautiful, precious baby girl.  Savannah Grace turned 6 months on Saturday (I can't believe we're halfway to a year already!).  She has enriched both mine and Oscar's life in countless ways.  It's hard to remember what our days were like before her.  I am so lucky that I am able to spend everyday being with her, watching her grow, and experiencing each and every first with her.  She truly amazes me everyday and I am so honored to be her mother!

After brunch at the Country Club

 
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the wonderful mothers in my life--Mom, Nanny, and Granny.  I only hope that a piece from each of you has been instilled in me so that I can be the best mother possible.  Thank you for setting such a wonderful example to follow!

First Day at Pool

Thank goodness the pool opened this weekend because today's temps reached the mid-90s.  I wasn't too sure at first if Savannah would like it since the water isn't as warm as her usual bath water but like the trooper that she is, she jumped right in and didn't even flinch.  It was so much fun watching her splash and play around all the other little kids.  

First arriving at the pool!

It's a little cold at first.

But it's not so bad.

It's like a big bath tub!

Let go Mom! I can do it by myself!

Time to go--the little diva has had enough.

 

We can't wait to go again next weekend! And once the pool is open during the week, I'm sure Savannah and I will be going almost daily.  I'm so excited to get my tan back!

Living the southern life

I know it's been a while since my last blog post but I've been super busy trying to get the house settled plus we've still got different workers coming in almost daily to do touch-ups, repairs, etc.  We're almost done with everything.  By the end of this week we should have the fence put up in the backyard, the sprinkler system in, and the grass finally laid.  I'll be soooo glad to have everything completed and to finally have a normal day with no interruptions.  So here are a few pics of the house that were taken almost 2 weeks ago and since then I've bought a few odd and end things and a couple more random tables.  Basically, Oscar finds new things every day when he gets home from work.  But I'm being very thrifty so I haven't gotten into trouble just yet :)  

Breakfast room

Dining room

My office space

Finally a normal size grill!!

Downstairs guest suite

Oscar's man room

I'll post more pictures of the upstairs rooms later.  And since I know most of you really only want to see recent pictures of Savannah, here are some of her and her latest escapades.

Rocking in her own chair on the porch

This is my savior--the only time she doesn't want to be held.

Taking her job as my trainer a little too seriously.

Grams came to help us get settled.

Family pic

Grams giving Savannah chocolate ice cream--of course she loved it!  Too bad she's not allowed to have it yet--already being spoiled by the grandmother.

First time eating a Gerber cookie--yet again, loved it!

Savannah's first Sunday going to church--she slept through the whole service.