"Be Our Guest"

"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test! Tie your napkin around your neck, cherie, and we provide the rest..."

One of my favorite Disney songs from one of my favorite Disney movies!  Lucky for me, Walt Disney World is in the process of a Magic Kingdom Fantasyland Expansion and just opened Belle's Castle along with Ariel's Grotto!  So of course we ventured over that way for our family day.  Here are the highlights from the preview (cast members only):

Carly ready for MK in her big girl stroller

Belle's Castle

Inside the "Be Our Guest" Restaurant

This above photo does NOT do the room justice, but it truly looks exactly like the hall in the movie where Beauty and the Beast dance to "Tale As Old As Time."  It is absolutely beautiful.  Disney also decided to use this space a a quick-service restaurant during the day and a table service restaurant at night.  We will hopefully dine there for both meals at some point!

Silly girl posing by silly gargoyles

Gaston's Tavern

Que line for Ariel's Grotto

Yes, she's really hanging there

Meet Ariel in her fins (first time for both of us)

Watching kiddos get wet at the circus

We had a really nice time and I am so impressed with this expansion.  You could lick the floor it was so clean, the cast were fabulous and the offerings were great.  The Ariel ride uses the best technology yet and in my opinion is a wonderful attraction.  We missed out on Story Time with Belle because Carly was getting fussy but I've heard that's wonderful was well.  We will have to return and participate soon!  Disney blows me away, yet again!

This title also coincides with the fact that Grandpa Weiss arrived in Orlando last night!  He came right over and hung out with Carly before the three of us met Brian for dinner at a Thai restaurant in Celebration.  Very fun!  He is at a work conference today and tomorrow, but will be our guest from Tuesday evening-Friday morning!

"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

This morning when we got up the temperature was under 70 degrees (69.2) so we decided to put on long sleeves and pants for the day!

Well, I guess it wasn't that chilly out if she didn't even need socks on. ;)  Regardless, the most wonderful time of the year in Florida begins when the temp drops and it's officially fall (well, that is my opinion).  As I walked outside this morning I thought, "Oh this is why we love living in Florida!"  I had forgotten why during the months of June-September. I am still contemplating whether the Florida summer or the Iowa winter is worse.  The good news is this wonderful time of the year is around to stay for the next 2 1/2 months as we head into the holiday season. :)

Besides for georgous whether down in these parts, we've also had a really great week.  Carly has been having a nice time at Christi's and is becoming more comfortable playing there (the first few weeks she has only wanted to be held).  Christi got some great shots of Carly this week (last week?) so I thought I'd post a few of those.  The first one is my favorite!

 
Sunday evening we had our small group over to celebrate Stefani's birthday!  Since we were going to have 12 adults and 3 babies, I went the hor d'oeuvres route so we could eat in the living room.  On the menu was chicken salad lettuce wraps, apples with pumpkin dip, a veggie tray, pickle wraps, meat and cheese pinwheels, pizza rolls, frozen yogurt strawberries and Nutella cookies for dessert.  8 months ago I would have NEVER thought I would be able to host again, or prepare that much food in one day, but it's amazing how slowly the things you did pre-family come back into your life.

Stefani with Baby Lucas, 5 weeks

 Yesterday and today have been chill days.  We had a play date with Stef and Lucas yesterday and today I think we will just hang out here.  I love my days with Carly so much...I think I must text Brian that at least twice a week.  I'm very thankful for such a great job, and one that is a "career" and not a gig that I do to just make an extra buck.  Work has been going well, lately, too, and I'm thankful for that. 

There are two other things that have made the last few weeks just wonderful.  One is that I have been diligently running.  Carly is so good in the stroller and desires to be outside, so she motivates me to get out and do it!  I feel really good but in two weeks have gained 5 pounds, so it's discouraging.  I know it might be muscle, but that makes it all the more real that I still have a lot to lose.  Afterall, I had a good amount of muscle content before I got pregnant, so even though I'm gaining muscle I still need to hit that pre-baby number.  Ugh.  Second delightful component of the past two weeks is everything pumpkin.  I LOVE pumpkin and have been using it in whatever I can.  Its just a great flavor of fall.  We got some pumpkin smelling air fresheners, too, so our home smells like fall.  I cooked the pumpkin Carly "wore" and she has been enjoying it with some cinnamon for breakfast!

The countdown has begun for Christmas decor going up after Thanksgiving dinner.  I wonder how difficult it will be to train Carly not to touch the Christmas tree? Ha!  Her recent demanding nature will have to wait for another post.  We are going to have a rough couple of years parenting this strong willed kid, but she sure melts our hearts when she smiles. :)

"Sweet Thing" {8 Months}

Our "Little Sweet Thing" is 8 months old today.  I thought 6 months was going to be this significant milestone but it seems as though she skipped right on past that.  For her 7 month post, I focused on things like; she enjoys reading books, can stand unsupported and sits up all day long without getting tired.  It's amazing in one month how much she has built on those things!  I must say that Carly has changed faster in the past three weeks than any three week span of time before and if I don't keep writing I'm going to miss something!  I feel like all of a sudden I have a little person maneuvering around the house rather than a little baby. It's weird to think less than 8 months ago she couldn't do much but eat, poop and cry.  So, with that said, here are the highlights for month ocho:

• She has begun some army crawling and if she has the will she can crawl to whatever she wants.  Her perception of what's in reach is still very near-sighted which seems strange, but I suppose its all part of her cognitive development.  Therefore, she wont dart toward the TV from her play area I think because she doesn't realize that she can.  Oh how that will change in probably a few short months...weeks?  
• Her balance is impeccable and everyday she can walk farther or stand longer.  She hasn't conquered pulling herself up yet, but you can bet she will try!  If I sit her down within reach of an upward surface, she will be climbing it in no time at all.  She was so content sitting last month...but that has quickly passed.  She just wants to be walking.
• Bedtime has become a quick and easy process.  This little girl loves going to bed at night!  She puts her head on my shoulder during "Goodnight Moon," smiles and coos during her bedtime lullaby, "You Are Mine," and gets all squirmy during her goodnight prayer.  She nurses real fast, is given her paci and laid in bed where she enjoys sprawling out and diving into snooze time.  From the time we walk into her bedroom to get jammies on to the time she is in her bed is a 10-15 minute process (compared to a half hour last month).
• Reading books is a frequent pass-time in this household.  Any time Carly gets fussy (if she's not tired or hungry), we cuddle up on the couch to read her 5 favorite books over and over again.  She turns the pages quite aggressively and is very proud that she can do so.
• Eats 3 meals/day, with the serving size increasing nearly every 5 days
• LOVES feeding herself.  We ran out of puffs this week so I started breaking up pieces of a tortilla and giving her that.  Not the most nutritious thing in the world, but it keeps her happy during dinner
• Refuses to stay on her back during diaper changes. :/
• Despises getting dressed
• Her favorite place to play is on top of the sink in our bathroom with our toothbrushes, hair brush, comb, toothpaste and tube of foundation.  Makes it pretty convenient when I have to get ready for work
• Wakes up in the morning and beelines it for the random trinkets sitting on our night stands
• Has grown out of most of her "baby" toys and is needing some "big girl" toys to keep her entertained, challenged and growing.
• Her hair is growing very very fast, and almost needs to be pinned back or it has the potential to get in her eyes! :)
• Enjoys riding in her stroller (yay) and is more than happy to go for a jog with me for 30-45 minutes (that's a long time for a little person)

Carly still doesn't have a consistent schedule, but it is more predictable than ever before.  Her bedtime is a solid and consistent 8:30pm and she joins us in bed about 5:30-6am and generally sleeps until 7:30-8am but every now and then is up for the day at 6am.  She nurses at 5:30am, 8:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm and eats meals at roughly 10:30am, 3:30pm & 7pm (I know, we need to get these to the normal meal eating times).  She naps either twice or three times per day, depending on how long the nap is.  Most days she will take one nap over an hour, but its still not something we can bet on yet.  Other than that, she is up and playing most of the day and often times 3 hours at one interval!

She gets longer and heavier daily, but we don't go to the doctor until next month, so I don't have any stats for her. 

So, she is eating finger foods, walking along furniture, sleeping on her back, side or tummy, riding in the stroller and army crawling and we have introduced her to new games, her highchair, lowered her crib mattress, and have begun safety proofing the house all in the past week!  I'm adjusting to the shock of her being a different kid than she was three weeks ago and she's adjusting to her new skills.  I'd say it's going rather well. :)

Her 8-month photos look slightly different than the previous months because she absolutely refused to pose on her back.  Exhibit A:

So, instead I have some photos of her on her tummy.  She's even cuter from that angle, anyway. ;)

And of course, my favorites from each month, the poses of her sitting up and smiling.  She looks very different depending on the smile she gives.

She's quite the spark plug and if this blog post was a tweet (I don't yet have a twitter account), I would hash tag it, #strongwilled!  I don't know what I ever did to be privileged enough to have the role of being this sweet girl's mommy. 

"1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Pumpkins"

Before I dive into talking about our lovely week, I want to introduce my newest cousin, Piper Meredith Hood, who arrived last week at almost 10 pounds!! Aunt Kayla did a great job of carrying her the past nine months, and everyone is beaming with excitement.  One more Hood child is due to arrive in the United States before Christmas, so I will post another picture when their family is complete.  I'm so excited for Joshua and Shayla I just have to share a photo!

JT (7), Baby Piper (1 day), Emmie (5), Shayla, Baby Zola (7 months) & Joshua

Carly has changed more in the past few weeks than ever in a two-week period prior to this month.  But, her 8 month post is quickly approaching, so I'm not going to focus on those things right now.  I will say, however, that she has officially started finger foods and has graduated from her Bumbo into her Highchair!  One day this week as I was feeding her, she began swiping the food right off her spoon and bringing her messy hand up to her mouth to put the food in.  I thought, "hmmm...I bet she is ready for finger foods."  Lo and behold I placed some puffs on her highchair tray and she knew exactly what to do with them.  Boy the pureed food just doesn't last very long, does it?  I'm sure in a few weeks she will be scooping up little pieces of peaches and pears, along with some peas and maybe some quartered grapes.  I already did some research on the baby Heimlich to make sure I am prepared if something goes down the wrong pipe!

We also introduced bath toys this week and finally let her sit in the bath without the sling holding her head out of the water.  Our water baby loved it, of course.

 This week Brian and I finally celebrated our 3 year anniversary (6 months late is better than never)!  We dined at the Coral Reef, a restaurant in EPCOT we'd been wanting to eat at for a while now.  It wasn't near the romantic meal that we had the first two anniversaries, but that's because our little tike was along for the ride.  I think when she is older she would really like the restaurant, especially if we sat right up next to the aquarium.  You can see it in the background here.  Carly also had her first taste of bread...we needed something to keep her occupied!

Carly and I also had a fun time getting into the "fall" spirit this week.  We bought a pumpkin and headed over to Christi's to carve it.  Well...it ended up becoming a Halloween "costume", and a super cute one at that! I mean, really, can this little girl get any cuter?  ;)

Fun times are being had in this Weiss household.  We are enjoying the break from our 90 degree weather and Carly and I have been able to go for multiple runs this week.  The lower humidity also feels nice! I hope fall is around for good this year!

"A Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down"

Can you believe it? I'm actually posting two days in one week!  I figured I would write about what we've been up to since coming home from our trip to Iowa.  We've had lots of fun hanging out with friends and, of course, introducing Carly to knew things.  I also realized I forgot to add photos from when Meg and Nate Greving were here...so here are a few of those.

Meg is holding her niece, Addison, 1 year old

Carly has transitioned very well to her new care giver, Christi.  The first day I dropped her off I cried as I left, knowing that 9 hours with someone other than Brian or I was going to be a first and had the potential to not go real well.  Christi gave a good report, however, and Carly did a great job napping for her.  She is a bit clingy and wants to be held most of the time, but does that really surprise you?  The second day is only a 5 hour day, and when we arrived Carly gave Christi the biggest smile and actually reached for her.  That shows the true character of Christi and just how much love she gave our little girl.  We are so blessed that she, Jude and Eden are all taking such wonderful care of Carly!  I wish they weren't moving in January!!  Here is a photo Christi sent me of the kiddos enjoying the outdoors, and a photo Christi took of Carly one afternoon.  She is in the process of starting her own business!

Speaking of the Johnson family, we ventured over to Magic Kingdom last week.  The kiddos did great and Carly rode in the double stroller (although the below picture does not attest to that)!  The Baby Bjorn is very sadly a thing of the past, so this was our first go at the stroller!  She is just too heavy...and needs to learn how to be on her own.  Our walks have been much shorter the past few weeks because she doesn't last long in the stroller, but she is learning.

Speaking of learning, I am so intrigued as to how Carly is cognitively more aware of her surroundings, and dare I say social norms/expectations.  For example, she has pretty much figured out when we are in the car that we aren't coming back there to pick her up, so she better just suck it up and enjoy the ride.  She overall does very very well.  No more stressful trips to the airport (although more than 35 minutes is still too long for her)!  She also responds very well to a situation if I explain it to her.  For example, when I'm going to leave the room, if I tell her where I'm going she seems to be much more content.  And her expectation is for me to peek over the counter at her when I'm in the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, have I mentioned yet that Carly is back to her normal eating self and has expanded her repertoire and her serving size?  Today she watched me puree some sweet potatoes and went crazy!  I couldn't get them cooled down and into her mouth fast enough! 

Speaking of being a big girl, she has quickly transitioned into being a "big" baby.  There is no trace of infancy in her.  Even her cries are different.  After our trip to Iowa, she was barely able to balance by herself. Two weeks later I can stand her at her music table and walk away confident she wont fall down.  She does fall every now and then but she is becoming good at breaking her fall, which is also a valuable tool to learn.

Hmmm...I'm not sure how to tie this one into the next paragraph.  Regardless, we were able to spend time with Jenny and her kids, Karis and Issac this week, Stefani and her little baby, Lucas, and spent an afternoon with Brenna at Typhoon Lagoon.  Carly is most certainly a water baby...she LOVED the lazy river.  Oh my goodness...she just sat on my lap while we laid out on an inter-tube while circling the park 5 TIMES!  Yes, she really did love it.  She didn't even mind when we when under water falls and got soaking wet.  Well, the first time she cried, but I think it's because I was screaming like a junior high girl.  Haha, the next few times around I didn't scream. :)  I love that Carly's smile brightens up the days of those around her.  Everyone who passed us on the lazy river commented on my "water baby" and thanked her for her sweet smile.  In church last week the people behind us told her that seeing her beautiful smile while she danced to the music made their Sunday morning.

Carly & Issac, 9 days a part

Baby Lucas

Speaking of church, CCC had an evening worship service last week so we got to go to church as a FAMILY!  Those of you who get to go to church each week as a family, please don't take that for granted!  Carly did great through the whole service, minus her wanting to walk along all the chairs and her diaper explosion. ;)

Well that's another update for you...we keep pretty "busy" around here these days. She is very fun to have adventures with, because she loves them as much as we do!