Out In The Country

Sorry for the delay in posting, Little A and I have been on a bit of a vacation for the past 6 days. We (and by we I mean my parents and I) took her on her first airplane ride/vacation back here to Southern Illinois. She did excellent on the airplane and the 3 hour drive to my Aunt Linda's. She is quite the jetsetter and I would not hesitate to take her on another trip. Last night she slept from 7:30 pm until 8:30am this morning, with a 6:00am snack. Incredible!

This is Little A with her Great Grandma, whom she was named for.

We have been busy seeing family and taking a final look at my late Grandpa's farm before it is sold at auction at the end of October. Growing up, I came back here just about every summer for vacation to this farm country where my parents were raised, bouncing from Great Grandma's to Grandpa Tommy's and all the different Aunts and Uncles' homes. It was truly idealic. I don't think I really realized that until this trip. Life is certainly slower paced here and being back here now that I am a little older has certainly made me appreciate my roots a little more. Everything is very different. It has been ten years since I have spent any real time back here, and I regret that.

My Grandpa Tommy passed away exactly one week before Little A was born. It never sunk in that he was gone until yesterday. We drove unto his property and his truck was parked in the drive. I walked into the house and was immediately struck with the nostalgia of it all. His coats were hanging in the entry and his boots were sitting there. As I walked into the kitchen, I half expected him to come walking in to greet me. When he didn't, it finally hit me. He is really gone. I felt the sadness all around me. A lot of that was a feeling of regret that Little A would never get to experience the same memories I did as a little girl, and that Peter did not get to see it before it is sold.

It is amazing to drive around and see the combines harvesting the corn in all the fields and to smell the dust from the corn husks on the air. There are crickets all around your feet and rows of corns and beans for miles upon miles. I took this picture just past my Aunt Linda's. I was able to stand in the middle of the road for as long as I needed without worry of a car passing.

Little A 1, Camping 0

You would think two people who met while camping and who spent the majority of their early times together in the wilderness would be a little more outdoorsy than we are. We attempted our first camping trip since Little A was born (and since we've been married for that matter) last weekend. It was the ward campout up the local canyon, a grand total of ten minutes from our home. Peter spent the majority of the evening putting up the Springbar and inflating the mattress. Little A was doing great and loving the campfire. We finally got her to sleep after nursing in some awkward positions at about 10 pm. All would have been fine had I not attempted to move around on the mattress. I woke Little A and on came the screams.

Out of fear that everyone in the ward would hate us, we grabbed the diaper bag, our inconsolable child and the car keys and headed home at around 11. She realized she had won and coo'd and smiled the entire way home. She continued this behavior until she finally gave up at midnight, content to be at home in her crib. She then offered us some mercy by sleeping straight through to 7 am without so much as a peep, for the first time ever. We then headed back to the camp to retrieve our things and have breakfast. Peter spent the majority of the morning taking down the Springbar and deflating the mattress. Let's just suffice it to say, we don't see a whole lot of camping in our near future.

A's Room

I am so excited! We aren't allowed to paint or wallpaper any part of our townhome, so I have been looking for a way to make Little A's nursery a little more exciting. Well, yesterday while purusing Target, I found these darling removable decals. It took me about an hour to put them up and I think they look awesome. And the best part is that Little A loves them. She grinned and coo'd from her bouncy seat as she watched them go up. I just about had to cover her eyes while I was nursing her because she kept craning her head back to look at the wall.

Pure Craziness!

Little A has been screaming lately...a lot. Well, a lot forher - she really is a very pleasant baby most the time. I cut out dairy and chocolate, thinking they were irritating her system and causing colic, started dressing her warmer, thinking that the cooler weather is getting to my summer baby, and kept the gas drops and gripe water stocked up and ready. For the life of us, we couldn't figure out what changed in the last week or two to cause all this upset.

...And then we saw it! While enjoying a nice leisurely visit to our little local zoo Monday with her Aunts Suzie and Aubrey and cousin Devin, Little A decided to open her mouth and smile just right. Suzie caught it at the same time I did, and we were both little bit unsure if we had really seen what we thought we saw. But a double take confirmed it...a tooth. My two and half month old baby is sprouting a tooth! Whether or not it will come to stay, we don't know. But I think I have found the source of the drool, stuffy nose, and the random pain-filled shrieks that come from no where. Don't believe me? Check this out for yourself!