Four months!

Little Scarlett is four months old today!  As I type this I can hear her protesting her nap..... and now it's quiet.... a couple peeps... still fighting it... louder again... It's always a tough call - do I leave her in there?  Do I pick her up?  I'm started to get the hang of it, starting to recognize the sounds.  And I'm trusting myself more.  Yes, she is tired and she needs to go to sleep.  Or, no, it sounds like she isn't tired after all.  But now.... quiet.  She's asleep.  

I will never get tired of strangers telling me how cute Scarlett is.  A lot of people comment on how blue her eyes are.  The other day a woman in Trader Joe's saw that her hands were clasped together and said that she looked like the baby Jesus.  I'm not kidding.  Apparently little baby Jesus prayed a lot?  But the comment I get most often is about my sling.  People think it's the coolest thing and ask me where I got it (for the record, it's a New Native sling and I got it at Whole Foods).  The same thing happens when Brandon wears Scarlett in his sling.  I guess it's just not that common, but I can't imagine what I'd do without it.  Scarlett does best when she's in motion so the sling tends to lull her to sleep.  And it frees up my arms so I can get things done.  The downside is that Scarlett is getting heavier, which makes it more uncomfortable for us to carry her.   I'm crossing my fingers that she grows out of this stage soon so I can start pushing her in a stroller.  She's a sensitive booger, no doubt about it.  Two errands is her limit and when she's tired you know it.  But she is just so unbelievably sweet and adorable and perfect and we apologize for kissing her so much, but it's kind of her own fault for being so dang cute.

And you...

So, I did it.  I changed the blog address.  It wasn't easy, a lot of the names I wanted were already taken by people who haven't posted in seven years, no joke.  But I think the title I chose is very accurate.  This blog is mostly about Scarlett, but it's about me, too.  And you - my husband, my mom, my friends, my cats...  

I'm going to be tweaking the look of the blog in the next few weeks, so be prepared for some exciting changes!  Not really.  I'll probably just change the background color.  But I also may change the font, so watch out!

Winter fashions

It's going to be c-c-cold in Missouri, so we bought a couple of hats to keep the boohead's noggin warm.  I like to dress her up.  Sometimes she likes it...

And sometimes she doesn't...

A slight change in venue

I am going to change my blog address - the url, if you will.  Readers, I will need all of your email addresses so I can let you know what the new blog address is.  If you know me, email me at my gmail address or email Brandy.  If I don't know you, post a comment with your email address.  I'll give everyone a week to get back to me and then it's go time, people!

Sleepy kitties

Chico has very discerning taste when it comes to where he sleeps... well, where he sleeps when he's inside.  I've found him laying in gravel and piles of dead bamboo outside.  When he's in the house Chico has higher standards - it needs to be soft and cozy and always elevated.  Since we don't allow him on our bed anymore (he has fleas), he's had to find other places to rest his weary head.  Knowing his love for the softer things in life, I guess it's not surprising that I've found him curled up in Scarlett's crib, changing table and bouncy seat.  Those are big no-nos, so strategically placed pieces of foil have stopped him from returning.  Chico seems resigned to sleep on the couch, but he's no fool.  When I accidently left my Boppy out he took the first opportunity to climb in...

Rocky, on the other hand, will sleep pretty much anywhere.  Here he is taking a nap on a kitchen towel that fell on the floor...

Kimberley MOOOOONEEEEEY!

Brandon, Scarlett and I had lunch with our good friend, Kimberley, today.  We love Kimberley and were so excited for her to meet Scarlett.  Kimberley works at Disney, but we all met when we worked on "My Life as a Teenage Robot" at Nickelodeon a few years ago.  She and I clicked pretty immediately.  I think it all began when she asked if I would be interested in throwing a cubicle warming party with her.  Would I!  We talked about a doing a Laverne and Shirley theme, but instead we made everyone on the crew draw pictures of us that we judged.  There were so many fantastic drawings and we were so happy that people actually put the effort into it that we gave awards like "Most Inspirational" and "Best Frame".  Throughout the season we planned a field day, Christmas cookie bake off and a 'How Well do You Know Your Coworker?' party.  We also decorated tissues boxes, impersonated Oprah Winfrey, critiqued the finer points of Love Connection and pushed each other around in office chairs.  Oh, and we worked.  

  

Somebody got new boots...

We're spending this Christmas with Brandon's family in Missouri, so my mom bought Scarlett a pair of boots to keep her footsies warm.  This confused the boohead.  Not sure why.  They fit perfectly!

Splish Splash!

My girl loves taking a bath.  It doesn't matter how tired or fussy she is, as soon as she's in the tub she is relaxed and happy.  Taking a bath is part of Scarlett's nighttime routine that starts at around 7pm every night.  It goes like this: bath, massage, pajamas, swaddle, nurse, lullaby, bed.  She seems to like it and it helps us, too.  Who doesn't like a little structure, right?  Brandon and I call everything after the bath "post-bath".  Usually one of us bathes Scarlett while the other preps the post-bath and then both of us get her ready for bed.  Scarlett is so sweet and talkative after her bath that it's sad to have to say good night!  Scarlett and I also have a routine in the morning after Brandon goes to work - nurse, diaper change, put on clothes for the day, watch mommy eat cereal, read a book.  By then she's already sleepy and is ready for a nap.  She'll take at least two more naps throughout the day.  After 4:00 it's tough to get her to fall asleep even though she's exhausted, which is hard on both of us.  Good thing Brandon will be home soon and then it's bath time again.  Splish splash!

Thank you, Gigi!

If you see my mom in the next few hours, please tell her not to go home.  She came out to LA last week and we love having her here and we don't want her to leave!  She is so good to us.  She cooked the Thanksgiving turkey, folded laundry, cleaned the kitchen, went grocery shopping, bought Scarlett adorable clothes, helped me pick out fabric for the diaper bag she's making me... The list goes on and on, but the best thing she did for us was insist that she babysit so Brandon and I could go out on a date, something we haven't been able to do since Scarlett was born.  Actually, she made us go out on two dates - we went to the movies one night and then out to dinner the next.  It was fun to get out and we felt good that Scarlett was in the safe and loving hands of her Gigi.  And loving arms they certainly are!  I'm not sure Scarlett could be loved more.  My mom loves holding her and kissing her and talking to her - not surprising as Scarlett is extremely snuggly and kissable and chatty! No joke, the girl exudes pure sweetness.  Anyway, I am so incredibly grateful for my mom and everything she does for us.  She goes above and beyond.  

Ronin and Scarlett with their Gigi