Smiling and Swinging

The days keep going by so quickly! I can hardly believe that Sullivan will soon be 7 months old! Lee is now doing an ortho rotation in the ER and is working hard as ever, with all the craziness of the emergency room climate. My teaching is going well and my two classes are moving along into the midterm of the semester without many bumps. Sullivan is thriving at her childcare center (2 days a week) and seems to love their array of toys and interacting with the other babies. They even had fall picture day last week and I dressed her up in her Halloween costume (as a fluffy puppy dog suit a friend let us borrow) and her teachers told me that the photographer placed her in some huge pumpkin!? I can't wait to see the results! Ha!
Here are some recent pics of our girl playing inside and with daddy on our new backyard swing. She looks more and more like Lee, huh?

Hats!

We have donned our darling girl in several hats this week, so cute! Not too much to report this week...we're doing well and have completely recovered from our stomach bug/food poisoning earlier this week! My big hoorah at present is that we now have employed a kind Mexican man to help with our yardwork! Yahooo! Santiago is hard-working and not afraid to conquer even tedious and scary projects (that I don't want Lee to do!) like cleaning the roof and the gutters. I am SO thankful to have found him---and to practice Spanish with him!

Movin' on up!

Sitting up by herself, feeding herself a cracker and taking a sippy-cup! Sullivan is making real progress and doing great! She is really loving her solids now, pears being her very favorite. Lee has been home this weekend and last and we have all had some wonderful time together swinging on our new backyard swing, taking walks and just being outside in the gorgeous fall weather.

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Skytop Orchard

Katharine, baby Camille, Christa and two year-old Audrey, met us near Flat Rock, NC, to pick apples and pears at the beautiful Skytop Orchard last Thursday. Rows of Gala, Mutsu, Granny Smith, Jonathon, Fuji, and Asian Pears lay before us and we had a great time pulling fresh ones from the trees and wandering through the general store. We even tasted apple cider doughnuts! Yum! It was cool and crisp and fall-ish up there...I can't wait to visit again!

Blue Jeans and Birthdays

Last Saturday Beth(back row, first on the left) and I celebrated our birthdays (both on Sept.6!) with friends from the ortho group and beyond at The Bohemian for lunch! It was a great time and the food and company were warm and comforting. I had a memorable birthday; as my sister pointed out, this has been a big year: new town, new job, first house, new friends, new baby, whew! What will 27 hold?
In other exciting news, Sullivan is 6mos tomorrow and so we had to put on her first pair of blue jeans today! Adorable! I couldn't resist these from Baby Gap a while back...they sit very high on her, she has the whole "granny pants" look, but she still stops traffic! Today the lady at the Clinique counter gave me TWO bonuses instead of one! Must've been those blue jeans she had on...

Black and whites

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Here are some Black and Whites from my old school manual camera that I have taken here and there since she was a few weeks old. They are in chronological order of Sullivan from about 4 weeks to 5 months of age. Although I seem to press everyone to smile and pose all the time, these are truly a reward.

Scooting and standing

Sullivan is on the move! She loves to scoot on her back and is trying to twist and roll over, but is not there yet! She also loves to "stand" on your lap, the table, or wherever anyone will support her and cheer her on. Today was a tough one for me as we resumed the daycare/work schedule after a one-week hiatus. It just feels so strange to drop her off for the day...nevertheless, she was peacefully sleeping and doing just fine when I picked her up. Didn't phase her!
Our daycare is a wonderful, caring place and the women who care for her are loving and gentle. She comes home covered in their scent, which is on the one hand is heartbreaking, on the other tells me they cuddle and snuggle her during the day.