5 Months

Corinne will be 5 months old on Monday, and since we have a busy weekend planned I decided to post a little early! Lately Corinne has been a champ at scooting around on her back. She is not quite rolling over--in fact, she is (a little too) content with her chosen mode of "scooting" transportation--as she is able to pretty much get where she wants to go. I find her in a different position every time I go to get her in the morning and after naps, thus demonstrating her proficiency in navigating her crib while totally on her back. I'm not sure that's something we want her to be so good at:) In this particular picture she scooted backwards and off the tiny boppy that originally cradled her head...here it is cradling her neck instead! But the picture is cute, isn't it?!

In other news, we recently started offering Corinne some cereal. She really isn't too sure about it, but she does make some cute faces. More pictures of that later!

And, I wish I had taken some photos earlier today when Brett retured from a week in Germany. Corinne absolutely LIT UP when she saw him!! It changed her entire demeanor instantly...she loves her daddy!

Butterfly Show

Today we met some friends in our small group at Krohn Conservatory's annual Butterfly Show. One butterfly, in particular, was extremely friendly and let us pass it around for some great photos. Here it is on Corinne's head! Do you think she knows?!?Andrea has a butterfly on her finger for us to enjoy! It looks like little Adam sees it, but Corinne is oblivious.
A close up of another unique and rather large butterfly enjoying a sweet treat.
L to R: Megan and Luke Miller, Andrea and Adam Garten, and Corinne and I--the same friends that were dedicated along with Corinne last Sunday. Adam was born the same day as Corinne, and Luke was born on the 29th of December, just 3 days later! Corinne is already "one of the guys" it looks like!
Daddy and Corinne just waiting for a butterfly to land...
We had a great time today and afterward we walked up to Twin Lakes Park, just around the corner from Krohn Conservatory. We enjoyed both the view and some fun hang out time all together. Wish the rest of our small group could've been there!

Video: Corinne Talks!

Each time I see Corinne, she is doing something new. During my visit this weekend, I learned that she is "talking." Of course, it's just baby talk, but she makes such cute sounds! Betsy and Brett said that lately she has been talking to herself for 20 or 30 minutes very early in the morning, then she goes back to sleep. Betsy theorizes that she's talking to the animals on the mobile hanging in her crib. She does this midway through her naps, too. I was able to catch her baby talk on video this weekend. On Sunday evening, Corinne started talking up a storm! It had been a big day -- including her dedication at church and a Mother's Day get-together afterwards -- so she obviously had a LOT to say.

I highly recommend that you at least watch the last minute or so (starting at 2:10), and listen very closely for the "other" noise Corinne makes at 2:40. Hilarious and priceless! The people cracking up in the background are me, Betsy, and Brett. (The entire clip is two minutes and 50 seconds long; I have no idea how to edit it, so my apologies for the length!)

Corinne, I can't wait to hear all the things you have to say when you learn to really talk. You can always count on me to listen to whatever you want to say, no matter what or when. I love you!

(P.S.: A tip for using the video ... At the end of the video, some YouTube "extras" will appear. Click on the "menu" button in the lower right corner to make them go away.)

Corinne's Dedication Photo

Our good friend and talented photographer, Susan, took this photo (and many others) of Corinne. We chose to use it for Corinne's Dedication at church (to be shown on two large screens with her name and birthdate) because we love it so much! Thanks, Susan, for so many beautiful pictures!

Celebrating Corinne's Dedication

A few of the people who love Corinne...

Corinne's Dedication Day

This past Sunday Corinne was dedicated at church, along with her two friends, Adam and Luke, from our small group! (Check out their blogs for more pictures of all of us--we didn't have our camera after the service:) Corinne wore a gorgeous blue dress to match her beautiful blue eyes...except I think Pastor Tom was not clued in to showing off her dress (see above picture). This was a special spiritual milestone in all of our lives, as Brett and I have, by the grace of God, committed to train Corinne up in the ways of the Lord. We were blessed to have lots of family on hand, as well as some close friends, and everyone in our amazing small group, as well. Corinne was an angel, taking in the whole service without a peep! Afterward we had family back to our house to celebrate her Dedication Day and Mother's Day, too. What a blessing the whole day was, from start to finish. We are thankful for the many people in Corinne's life who love her so much!

Stay tuned for more pictures from Sunday...

The reason I resigned...

Need I say more?

Brett and I recently made the decision that I will be at home full time with Corinne, and I couldn't be happier--or more blessed. We are constantly amazed at God's gracious provision for our family and I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to spend my days raising Corinne. Every minute with her is a gift! We are both completely at peace with this decision, and while I know it may not be right for everyone, I am so totally certain that it's right for us.

Big Weekend

We had a busy weekend, but enjoyed it all! This was Flying Pig Marathon weekend in Cincinnati, and, no, I did not run in it. However, Brett and I did run in the Flying Piglet 5k on Saturday morning (in the pouring down rain)...a race that is definitely more our speed. Then Saturday afternoon the weather cleared up (kind of) and we took Corinne to her first Derby Party, where--believe it or not--the children pretty much outnumbered the adults!! And this morning we woke up to beautiful sunshine, so we decided to watch the marathon come through our neighborhood. We stood on the corner and cheered on the runners...and found a few characters in the crowd, as well (see above picture). Corinne had a great time, but wondered why Daddy didn't push her in the jogging stroller in the marathon:) Hmm, maybe next year!

Tough Day at the Office...

Today Corinne had her 4 month appointment...for all the moms out there, you know that means 4 shots plus another vaccine by mouth. It was no fun to watch Corinne cry at the pain, but a good nap afterwards has helped her greatly! Brett took the day off to go with us to the doctor, and the three of us enjoyed eating outside on the patio after Brett grilled up some lunch. Corinne's stats are: 25.5 inches in length and 14.3 lbs. (I won't bore you with the head circumference...until I became a mom I didn't even know they measured that:)

The bottom two pictures are really for Aunt Marcey. She got Corinne the t-shirt she's wearing in the photo, which says "Memphis Farmer's Market". For those of you that don't know, Marcey is in Memphis, TN for the year and is able to visit us quite often--which we love!! We're sad that soon she'll be heading back to NY...too far away for a weekend drive.

Actually, now that I think about it, a good part of Corinne's wardrobe is from her doting aunts! And, lots of what they get her says something about where they live:) Corinne has two "I love NY" onesies, one "I love San Fransisco" t-shirt, one San Fransisco fleece jacket, and countless cute clothing "just because" they found it and had to get it. I wish they would send ME cute clothes...