Happy Girl...

At Stella Grace's 2 month doctor check-up, her doctor asked me how we were doing. I told her all about SG and all the details about how her days and nights go. We discussed her weight, eating patterns, sleep patterns, development and a whole slew of other things. Her doctor tends to laugh when we walk into the office because she knows I'm coming with notebook in hand, ready to ask the millions of questions I have jotted down since our last visit. After we had discussed all things SG, and the doctor had assured me that we have a perfectly healthy baby girl, she asked how I was doing. I told her that I was doing well, except for the lack of sleep that makes me feel like an alien most days. I also told her that I was really yearning for some recognition from SG. I explained to her how after getting up 5 times throughout the night to feed/change/check on SG, struggling to make it through the work day without falling asleep, rushing home to spend a couple of hours with my husband and baby, before falling asleep and doing it all over again, I was really longing for a little bit of recognition from SG. Just something to show that she knows who I am. Now this is not to say that her snuggled up on my shoulder didn't mean the world to me- there has been no better feeling in the world than her asleep on my chest as a newborn. But just a little smile when she sees me, or maybe for her to reach out for me when I walk into the room, would make me get out of bed with a smile across my face at 4 a.m.! The doctor's response to me was that all of her parents tell her these same things, and that it's normal to feel this way. She also said, "Just wait until she reaches 4 months, that's the golden age of babyhood." Well, apparently she knew what she was talking about. SG is ending her 4th month and she is the happiest baby I know. We live for her smiles now, and she does it all the time. We're practically running over one another to be the one she first sees when she wakes up because of that smile of recognition. There's nothing like it in the world!

Look How Far We've Come...

I am going to visit my friend, Mali, tomorrow and her new baby boy, Rivers. I am so excited to finally meet him, and I can't wait to hold a tiny little baby in my arms again! Mali and I were pregnant together, so it's really exciting that her little one is finally here :) Thinking of holding Rivers tomorrow made me look at SG's pictures from when she first came home from the hospital. She was such a tiny little thing! Many of you probably remember that she was "finger fed" for a bit at the beginning, and this is a picture of what that actually looks like. It is amazing how quickly they grow, and how much she has changed in the past 4 months. She was so tiny and fragile in this picture, and she is such a big girl now- rolling over, smiling, holding her head up, playing with toys, and starting to laugh! And certainly no more 1/2 ounce finger feedings- sweet SG will suck down 8 ounces in four minutes flat if you let her!!!

Live at The Shell...

So we practically lived at the Shell for the past 6 weeks or so. The Levitt Shell is an outdoor ampitheater in the middle of Overton Park in Midtown, very close to our home, and it is a great place to see live music. When I first moved to Memphis 8 years ago, we used to go to the Shell all the time to concerts, and it was so much fun. Sometime in the past couple of years the city decided that the Shell was in too poor condition to continue having shows there, so they shut it down and made all of us live music junkies very sad. Well, a grassroots effort got underway, and with a grant from the Levitt foundation, the Shell is now The Levitt Shell, and is bigger and better than ever! They refurbished the ampitheater, bathrooms, lighting, sound, took out the bench seating and made a beautiful rolling lawn, and added big screens on both sides of the stage. It is so nice! The best part is the foundation's commitment to put on 50 free shows a year! The Shell now has 25 shows (5 shows a week for 5 weeks) in the Spring/Summer season, and 25 shows in the Fall. The shows start at 7:00 p.m. and last until around 9:00 or 9:30. They have kids shows on Saturday afternoons, with music lessons for kids and lots of other fun stuff :) Everyone throws a blanket down, and you can bring your own cooler and picnic- there is no better way to spend a FREE night with your family! We just finished the Spring/Summer season, and we're anxiously waiting for the Fall season to be announced.

Surely Stella Grace is going to be a music fan- I don't know how she could get around it living in our home! She has seen more concerts in her 4 months (plus all the ones she heard while she was growing in her mama for 9 months!) than most people have seen in the past couple of years! Now we're not irresponsible about it folks- we sit in the back far away from the speakers, and we're on the hunt for some baby sound reducing headphones. She absolutely loves seeing concerts in the park- she is mesmerized by the lights flashing from the stage, loves dancing with her mama and daddy, and not to mention that she loves nothing better than being outside under the trees. Stella's very first live concert was at 2 months at the Shell- we saw The Brown Sisters- a gospel group of 5 sisters and large band- they were a ton of fun and definitely had the crowd jumping and feeling the spirit! We also saw Big Sam's Funky Nation (one of our favorite New Orleans bands), Todd Snider, Juke Joint Duo (Lightin' Malcom and Cedric Burnside), and Freeworld. We can't wait for September to get here so we can go see more live music at The Shell!

Rock and Roll Baby!

Playing on the blanket with Daddy
















Yes, that really is a bug net & fan :)

The Shell was rocking for the Juke Joint Duo!

Our view at Freeworld

VOTE!!!

Hi everyone! Please click on the button below and vote for the Memphis Farmer's Market. Our favorite weekly activity is to wake up on Saturday morning, load Stella up in the car, and head downtown to the Farmer's Market. Every week we see our friend, Laura Carpenter, who volunteers there, plus lots of other friends who are strolling the market on a Saturday morning. We buy fresh produce, listen to the live music, visit with farmers/vendors, check out new vendors and products, get excited about trying a new type of lettuce/greens, jelly, or whatever else we find, and then stroll downtown and shop and eat. It is such a great way to spend a weekend morning, and we hope as Stella grows it will help to teach her about eating healthy, fresh foods. Plus we hope it will get her excited about cooking (and eating!) the food we buy there. Anyway, it is such a great thing and I know the prize money would help them alot- so help them out and VOTE! Thanks :)