Anna Scott's Baby Book - Five and Six Months Old

B.G.,
These past two months have simply blown me away! You have done so many new things! I love watching you grow and master new skills; it makes me so proud.

You are doing much better at baby food now. You look for the spoon and try to grab it to bring it to your mouth. Also, you talk to the spoon EVERY TIME while waiting for it to come back to you. It makes me laugh. I think that you think it helps you get the food faster. You'll probably love food just like me. You haven't swapped to solids completely yet, but you're getting close!

You can sit up on your own now, too! We have to be nearby, though, in case you tip over. You do NOT like to fall. But, really...who does? Usually, we can sit you in the boppy and give you some toys, and you are a pretty much the Happiest Baby Ever.

Speaking of toys, you really like anything with buttons, lights, sounds, etc. You are so inquisitive when it comes to objects. Now, we have to be really careful as to what is in your line of sight and reach! I think you get that from your daddy. He is very observant and curious as well. Your toys of choice are your drums, Sophie, a handheld toy mp3 player, and your Elmo remote (which was Aiden's-as he likes to always remind us). And, as you can see...this month, you noticed The Sticker.

Disney Jr. has to be your favorite thing to watch. If you hear something on TV, you do this shake/jump thing and turn your head super fast, never wanting to miss a thing! Here's a video of you giving The Hand to your dad. He was interrupting your Mickey time.

I think you will be crawling any day. Or at least Army crawling. You can go backward, but the whole forward thing? You're working on.

During sleep, you will roll onto your belly and if you wake up, sometimes you're confused and you'll cry. This just started a couple nights ago. Once you're back on your back with your paci, lovie, and blanket, all is right with the world.

Right now your favorite sounds to make are Da-da-da-da mixed with a ta-ta-ta-ta. You also enjoy the occasional raspberry. No words yet, though. I'm pulling for "Mama". Duh.

You have experienced your first Tennessee Volunteers Football season, and I have to say that you look so precious in Big Orange.

Those are only a few of the things you have done that have made your daddy and me laugh, smile, or beam with pride. It's never dull with you and your brother around. That is certain. I can't wait to see how you grow this next month! We will have our first vacation as a family of four!

I love you, Baby Boo!
Mommy

Why I Teach

       Five years ago (my first real week as a teacher), I noticed a kid not starting his assignment. I kept prompting him to begin, but every time I walked back by his desk, I would glance at his paper only to find little or no progress being made. I thought it was an amazing assignment, of course, so I didn't get why he wasn't diving in with the same enthusiasm as his classmates. I was actually kind of annoyed and thought he just didn't like me or didn't like my class. But something started nagging me and just would not stop. So I pulled him out into the hallway to ask what the deal was. He could not even look at me. He kept mumbling and looking at the ground. And then, finally, it hit me.
       I calmed myself a bit and changed my approach. In our conversation, he admitted that my class was hard for him, and that this was his first time in a regular reading class without extra help. I felt such an automatic connection with this kid, and did the entire year. He really wanted to be in my class. He wanted prove to himself that he could do it.
        After speaking with his mom about his struggles with reading and how driven he was to do well, I just knew he would be able to do it. To this day, I joke and say that he was my first son. I love that kid to pieces. His mom too!
         Today, I was out shopping and I saw him walk out of a store, smiling from ear to ear. I stopped mid-sentence and ran to give him a big 'ole hug. About that time, his mom came up and we all chatted and caught up. He is doing well on the football field (always been a beast) and has even been getting letters.
         But just when I thought I couldn't be more proud, she told me that he is taking HONORS ENGLISH. It was all I could do to not lose it right there.

He did it!!!!!!!!!!!

I cried when I got home.

This is why I teach.

Anna Scott's Baby Book - Four Months Old

Baby Girl,

Another month has flown by, and you are growing and growing while continuing to capture our hearts with your charming little antics! You have hit several milestones this month. Now (on our third try) you can put yourself to sleep WITHOUT A PACI! This is something your big brother didn't do until he turned One! I would have let you keep it. In fact, that's why it has taken us three tries--Mommy kept giving in. But after complaining to Dr. Castleberry about how you can't keep it in while sleeping, she convinced me to help you quit "Cold Turkey". It makes me sad, but happy that you (and I) can sleep without it falling out and making you cry instead of getting some much needed rest! As I am typing, I am listening to you coo yourself to sleep in your own bed.

You sleep in your crib at night unswaddled! During the day, you still sleep in your co-sleeper, but no longer have to be attached to the bed. You still take two small morning naps and a BIG stretch in the afternoon! And I still get that sweet little smile when you wake. It makes my heart explode every time.

Some of your favorite things seem to be bath time, playing with your little toys, and most definitely watching Aiden. You have really gotten the hang of Tummy Time. And when you get tired of that, you can now roll onto your back all by yourself! Aiden is always there to cheer you on and celebrate when you do it. And you always give him your classic gummy grin.

This week, you will get to start trying baby food and cereal! I cannot wait to get that on video! If you are anything like me, you will love food.

Another milestone you have hit is being able to reach out to grab things. This is my favorite because I think it is so sweet when you reach to touch my face. Sometimes, though, it's hard to get you to let go. You like to hold onto your bottle or me when you're eating, reach out and swat your toys, and touch and grab people's faces. I just love to watch your face as you discover your little world.

We are so excited to see you grow into such a beautiful little girl. You make your mommy, daddy, and brother so proud.

We love you little Anna Scott!

Superman Turns Three!

Three years old.

Yep.

But with the sadness that my baby boy is growing up so quickly comes the excitement of the party! And I have to say that this was his best one yet. Jamie and I had a blast, and I hope that the rest of our family and friends feel the same!

Ever since last year's birthday gift from "Uncle B" (Captain America stuff), Aiden's obsession with super heroes has grown tremendously. I know way more than I ever knew I could know about super heroes, their affiliates, groups to whom they belong, villains, and their alter egos. And my kid? knows about twice as much as that. He now has an always growing (much to my chagrin) collection of super hero t-shirts. I will admit, though, that some are still cute. {Thank you, GAP and Old Navy} His closet holds a dress-up drawer where you can find everything you need in order to go fight crime and two drawers full of every figure that graces the aisles of Target or a commercial break on The Hub. The fact is: My kid can't get enough. He wants to get the bad guys 24/7, and if you agree to be his accomplice? Good luck getting out of it.

With that said, the theme for this year's party was a huge "DUH". We would celebrate SUPER HERO STYLE!

We even invited the guests to join in on the fun, and dress as their favorite hero or villain. We think dress up parties are kind of awesome. Actually, our family used to do them quite a bit, so we were all a little more than excited to bring it back.

After months of planning our "outfits" and Aiden going back and forth, back and forth about who we should all dress as, we finally made up our minds his mind! IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN. Jamie and Aiden were originally dressing as Superman together, but they just don't make the adult costume for a 6 foot 2 man! Which I found kind of ironic. So instead, Jamie opted for the alter ego, Clark Kent. When we found the fedora, I was sold. We found Anna Scott's Wonder Woman onesie at Old Navy which was awesome! I had pinned it long ago, and was anticipating a long, drawn-out internet search. Aiden is a fan of the Super Hero Squad show, and I have been told since the beginning that I would be Miss Marvel, aka "Yellow Hair". Mind you, this is NOT the comic book Miss Marvel for the adult crowd. She's the one who wears clothes. We all had a great time shopping and putting the looks together, and I'm sure Jamie and I scored major cool points.

We weren't the only cool people, though. Batman and Robin were there, and they brought their Avenger friends, Captain America and Black Widow!

Among the other guests were Wonder Woman, a somewhat taller version of Captain America, a cute, mini Black Widow, and Batman and Catwoman! Aiden was so thrilled to see everyone dressed up as his favorite heroes! To say I loved seeing his reaction would be a major understatement.

 There were four different tables: Batman, Captain America, The Hulk, and Iron Man. The main table was decorated in honor of the Birthday Boy, Superman! There was a Superman cake, snacks, pizza, hero cupcakes, and even Kryptonite Cookies!

And Superman got everything his little superhero heart could wish for. And MORE! Seeing his little face light up was just about the sweetest and cutest thing ever!

After everything was opened, he had one last surprise from Mommy and Daddy...

A Spiderman Bicycle!

After gifts and cake, everyone went out for a swim, and even more fun was had! We are so beyond blessed to have family and friends that love our little boy as much as we do. Jamie and I were talking about it later that night, and both agreed that we had not had that much fun in a long time. 

I hope Aiden remembers each and every birthday, not because of the gifts, but because of who was there to celebrate along with him. He is so loved. And I am glad he knows that.

Happy Birthday, Little Man! We love you!

Anna Scott's Baby Book - Three Months Old

Baby Girl,

I am sure I've said it before, and I know I will say it over and over throughout your life, but I cannot believe how time has flown. You are Three Months Old! As sad as it is to see you grow out of those teeny tiny onesies and socks, you are getting cuter and sweeter each day. I have always said that God made children grow in the perfect way. All of the fun, exciting, and cute things you do make it hard for me to get sad about you not being small anymore. He really knows what He's doing, huh? 

This month, you have really developed more personality. You are still my little social butterfly. You smile from ear to ear to anyone who talks to you. You "talk" (coo, gurgle, ooh, and ahh) almost non-stop. My favorite is when I'm holding you and talking on the phone, you start grinning and cooing like I'm talking to you. So sweet. Every morning when I wake you or go to pick you up, you squint your cute little eyes and squinch your nose while giving the sweetest baby grin ever. And when I say every morning, I mean every morning. Even if you're fussy and hungry, you find a way to give me that smile. You also smile every time you see Aiden walk into view. He loves it! Mommy loves it too.

You laugh a lot more now. It seems you like silly noises and to be a little startled. The weirder I can be and the more it surprises you, the harder you'll giggle. It is just so cute. Anytime I try to get you on camera doing something, you will stare straight at the camera. This can be frustrating because it distracts you from laughing at me! But you sure do know how to lay the charm on thick. You bat those eyelashes and smile right into the lens. This is hilarious and scary at the same time. But we've had the chat about boys. But when we did you just laughed at me, of course.

We spend about half of our weeks at the swimming pool. You love it because, as I've said before, you love being naked. You are perfectly content just laying in the shade looking around or napping. Unless you decide you would rather be held. The past couple of times, you've not been to happy about Mommy putting you down. But that's okay! (wink-wink)

Ready for the pool

You take two little naps each day and one big three hour nap. You are sleeping 12 hours each night! Your big brother didn't do this until he was six months old! So good job, sista! You still wake a few times (but not fully) to fight your paci. Spit it out, whine, spit it out, whine... But you figure it out and go right back to snoozing. 

You have found your little hands and sometimes seem amazed by them. Putting them in your mouth, swaying them in front of your face, clasping them together. It really is so cute. So far, no thumb sucking (phew).

Your favorite activities include baths, cuddling (especially in the Boba), looking at things, talking to people, blowing bubbles, chewing on Sophie, and watching your hands. You still poo and pee with the diaper off, but much less now, thank you! You also do this cute thing with your feet. You put them together like praying hands. I kinda love it.

I packed away your first box of clothes which made me tear up a bit. But I am enjoying dressing you in all of your cute little outifits! I am guessing this will only get worse as time goes on. Poor Daddy.

Tummy time is becoming more fun for you. You can hold yourself up much longer and kick your little legs like you are trying to crawl. Sometimes, when you want to be picked up, you will try to do a sit-up. This is something your brother did all. the. time. and it used to scare me, but he turned out okay, so I'm not as worried. But it sure does look like you're working on a six-pack. You are definitely getting stronger! 

This next month, you will be starting cereal, and my least favorite, sleep training. This means you will be sleeping in your crib in your own room! Without a swaddle! I'm sure this will be harder on me than you. We will soon find out. 

I love you so much, Sweet Girl.

Love,
Mommy