Giggle Box

We love this video! Getting Mary Beth to laugh is one of our favorite things to do these days. She is so much fun!

Coupon High

I am a bargain shopper. I love the satisfaction of finding a great item on sale and the money it saves which is why I am surprised that I am just now becoming interested in coupons. I have collected a few coupons here and there but I never remeber to use them before they expire and I cannot get organized enough to even know what I have. So, I am starting to get interested in the hobby of "couponing" which is something I heard about for the first time a month or so ago. Randomly, one of my best buddies has started getting interested in this too and is a few steps ahead of me. She recommended the Southern Savers blog and it is awesome! You can click on your local grocery store and it will list all of the items that are on sale that week and they link in additional coupons that you can use for the items already on sale! I spent about an hour yesterday going through all of the items for Publix, printing coupons and making my grocery list and I saved $42 (37%) on my first trip!!! It took me a while to do my shopping because it was such a new experience for me but I think with a little practice I will be whipping around the store with my coupons in hand saving tons of money along the way. I feel so dumb to have never taken advantage of them before so I thought I would share in case there are others out there who enjoy the thrill of a good bargain.

The good life

This baby may look like her daddy but she loves to sleep like her mama! This picture says it all! She really only fusses when she is late getting her nap in or when she is hungry. Does that sound familiar or what??? Thanks for the cute Christmas pajamas Aunt Shanna!

The best part of their day.

She is always so excited when Dan is the one to get her out of the crib. On this day, she reached her hand up to touch his face, it was so sweet! I ran to grab my camera and of course I missed the moment but their smiles say it all.

Throwing down

We started giving MB ceral last Friday and she really liked it. She kept staring at the empty bowl after we were finished and kept smacking her lips!

YUM! Her favorite part may have been biting the spoon.

May I have some more?

Updated Lamb Photos

Five Months

Four Months

Three Months


Two Months

One Month

Five Days

Five Months

Last week Mary Beth turned five months old! It was a great month and the biggest thing that happened is that I returned to work. It actually hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I dreaded it for months and it hasn't really been a big deal. We hired a super sweet lady that watches Mary Beth while I work and I went part-time so I get to spend the afternoons with her. Cheryl (our nanny) is really enjoying MB and I have felt very comfortable with her being in our house which is something I was really worried about. Going back to work has slowed down the blog posts so I am trying to get caught up for the past few weeks.

We put MB on some medicine for her spitup this past month and we think it really helped. She is still spitting up but it's not nearly as much as it has been. We can't imagine what it will be like when she finally quits, we just hope it's before she enters fifth grade! I took MB to the doctor for a weight check and she is now a whopping 13 pounds! We were very excited. She has gained exactly five pounds since she was born and is still in the 25th percentile. She moved from a size one diaper to a size two diaper last week so she is definitely growing. We are enjoying our little girl more than ever and love all of her gummy smiles and fun giggles. She likes to stand up (with our help of course), be held up in the air and to sit on the kitchen counter in her bumbo seat. Each day Dan and I talk about how being parents is even better than we thought it would be and how much fun we are having. She is pure entertainment, we can't imagine what she will be like when she can talk to us. We are enjoying every little accomplishment and she loves it when we cheer for her. Every day she seems to become more and more of a daddy's girl and I have to say that watching Dan with her is one of my favorite things to do. What a joy this baby girl is, we love her so much! Here are a few picture that capture what we have been up to the past month. We are looking forward to time with family over the next few weeks and hope to catch up with everyone soon.

This was clearly taken before the Tech/UGA game, the after picture wouldn't have been so smiley!

Mary Beth is scared for her life, cousin Sadie loved having her so close.

This is how she really felt.

Who is your stylist?

Riding on the back of the truck for the first time, yeah!

Helping grandaddy find the perfect tree.

Four generations having a good time on Thanksgiving.

So thankful for this sweet face.

Dressed up for church

So fun!

Copy cat

Boxing Beauty

Four month lamb photos

After MB woke up from her nap and the terrible shot fiasco, I was able to get her four month lamb photos. She wanted to stand in the chair at first and then she slowly sunk down to the sitting position. I can see how these photos are going to get more difficult each month!

On her way down....

a little bit lower....

and she made it!

Hello friend! This is the first time she has noticed the lamb sitting beside her.

Four Months!

This post is a little late since we have been vacationing in Moultrie but MB is four months old! We went to the doctor today and everything is going well. She had another round of shots today and she screamed like always but the miracle is that I didn't cry this time. I was so proud of myself and was glad that I didn't have to leave the office with a splotchy, puffy, red face again. I left that for MB (see the picture below). She is 12 pounds and 3 ounces (25 percentile) and 25 and 1/4 inches long (80th percentile), long and lean like her daddy. It's funny how thin is in everywhere except for the nursery. We have had strangers tell us that we need to beef up our child and I get really put out at these people. All the nerve, we are doing the best we can and she is healthy! But anyway, things are going great for the spit up queen and here are a few things about her from the past month:

• she started laughing a few weeks ago, when we were in cartersville, and then she made us wait a few more weeks before she laughed again. she giggled last night while looking at herself in the mirror, so funny!
• found her hands and feet
• has more control over her hand movements even though it takes all of her concentration to grab something.
• is enjoyig rolling over
• razzing, she started doing this in Moultrie, it's very cute
• squeals with delight
• still sleeps well
• very adaptable, we take her everywhere
• still sleeps in the car as long as it is moving
• smiles all the time
• very polite when she starts to get unhappy and gives us warning signs
• she rarely snorts when she cries which is a big change from her first few months
• very alert and enjoys people watching
• is wearing her 3 month clothes and a size 1 diaper

The fourth month has been a busy but fun one. We went to two out of town weddings, she spent her first night in her Cartersville crib, had her first professional photo shoot, and took her second trip south to visit the Saunders family which included her first football game. We went for an extended visit while Dan is traveling in Africa. The trip was great. For the cost of two tanks of gas, we got free room and board, all inclusive meals and free child care along with lots of laughs. You can't beat that! The drive back took five hours since we had two blow out diapers, two outfit changes, four bibs, two melt downs, three bathroom stops, one feeding stop and a quick swing by the outlets. This resulted in two cranky Milam girls when we got home yesterday. Whew!!! I do not plan to drive further than a few miles without Dan for a while. We are picking him up from the airport Sunday at 2pm and can't wait!!!! It's been too long!

The trauma of the shots, even Mr. Frog couldn't help.

Who me?

Packer Backers

She was Hawg Wild and loved the football game

Finger lickin good

Loving her new look (this went over much better than the bee costume)

Cute kitty!

Back to the grind

The time that I have dreaded for weeks has come. I start working again next Monday and have mixed emotions about it. The good news is that we found a sweet lady who is going to come to our house to take care of Mary Beth and I am going to go part time and work 30 hours a week (7am-1pm everyday). I'm excited that things are working out and I will be able to spend my afternoons with the little one and have her at home while I am working so I can peek in and see her cute face when I am missing her. We found our nanny through a posting I put up at a local Methodist church and she is very sweet. We are doing a trial run today and tomorrow so I can take her through a morning in the life of MB and show her the ropes. I'm not thrilled about handing her the ropes for a few hours every day but I'm sure it will be fine. I have thoroughly enjoyed being at home during these first few months and will always be thankful for having that time to spend with my little girl. I will post her four month update sometime later today after we get her stats from the doctor. Here is a recent picture that I love. She is so much fun!

They made it!

Here is a link to my uncle's blog....they are having a good time and I can only imagine the stories they have to tell.

http://www.worldlinegroup5.com/travels.html

Part of an email from Dan...he made it safely!

Blurry screen, old french keyboard...bear with me. I landed ok and everything about my flights went well. I even made friends with a french man on my way to Bamako and he helped me get through immigration. Boy, I wish I knew french, this would be much easier. Johnny picked me up at airport and we stayed a night at a hostel/mission which was HOT. i couldn't really sleep but was able to get 2 hrs or so. Then this morning we got up early and took a bus to mopti which is on the river. we've arranged a boat for tomorrow around 2 and it should be an interesting ride. The boat is pretty rough and it's going to be a long 3 days/2 nights on the river. Were having a good time and the food has been pretty good but its a really poor country and there aren't many nice things. The hotel we're at now is nice though and we've met some really fun and interesting people. I have to get some sleep now since I haven't slept hardly at all since i saw you. the people are very nice and we're safe but just not knowing a lick of french makes it difficult.

And he's off!

MB and I dropped Dan off at the airport Sunday night after a big meal at Longhorn. We figured that may be his last decent meal for a while if you don't count the goat accompanied with the rice and beans. :-) Here is a picture of him heading into the airport. I haven't heard from him yet but he landed in Africa last night around 10pm Africa time. I believe they are four hours ahead of us. If we are lucky, Dan is going to make a guest appearance on the blog and post some info about his travels. Keep your fingers crossed!! After we left him at the airport, we drove down to Moultrie to stay with my family for a while. Here is a brief itinerary of Dan's trip.

Tuesday morning (today) - get up early- about five thirty - to catch a bus to Mopti. That is a 10 hour bus ride.

Tuesday night, arrive at hotel - will sleep on roof top - nice and cool. Hotel provides mattress, sheet, pillow, and mosquito net. Nice bathroom facilities.

Wednesday - day off - prepare for boat trip.

Thursday - get on boat mid morning. Trip lasts two nights and three days.

Friday arrive Timbuktu, stay two nights.

Take a CAT CAT - 4X4 - back to Mopti Tuesday to start two day one night trip to Dogon Country. Then return to Bamako (capital of Mali where he will fly back to US).

All smiles.

Not much luggage for the two week trip.

Really, Timbuktu is an actual place???

We have been asked that question several times when telling folks that Dan is headed to Timbuktu. He is traveling with my uncle and they are in for an adventure! My uncle has been there for almost two weeks and is keeping a blog called "Onward to TIMBUKTU" and you can follow their trip from the link on my blog buddy list. I, for one, am shocked that they have internet in the places that they are travelling but am glad that we can stay in touch. They are going to find out first hand why we use the phrase from here to Timbuktu. They will be traveling on a "pinasse", which is a river boat, for three days with sacks of rice and make multiple stops to small villages along the way. They will be doing this all while sleeping on the floor of the glorified canoe.

I am very thankful that my uncle is taking Dan along on this journey because Timbuktu and the desert is a place that I have no desire to visit. My idea of a vacation and Dan's idea of a vacation are very different. For instance, if you have to pack a small backpack filled with a mosquito net, malaria pills, one change of clothes and Imodium, you can better believe that I am not interested in going. That being said, this is a dream trip for Dan and I am so excited that he has this opportunity. When my uncle mentioned this trip to him, he was very uncertain about going because he didn't want to leave me and Mary Beth and he was in between jobs at the time. I insisted that he go because this is one of those once in a lifetime experiences and I didn't want him to miss out. You see, one of Dan's greatest passions in life is to travel the world. He gave up a lot of his travel dreams when he married me and although he would never say that he had to give anything up for me, I know he would still be traveling the world if he was a single man. He feels alive when he is experiencing other cultures and it is good for his soul to see how other parts of the world live. I am excited that he will have two weeks away from his everyday wonderful life to see the world through the eyes of others. I pray that they will have safe travels and that God will be even more real in their lives when they return. I will miss Dan very much but am thrilled for this experience. What's good for his heart is good for mine. Have a blast, experience all that you can and we can't wait to see you in two weeks!

This is what we think the river boat is going to look like....nice!

We will post actual pictures when he returns.

Timbuktu is in the country of Mali in Northwest Africa, who knew?

Mirror mirror on the wall...

If she has my "magnolia" skin she will definitely be the fairest of them all!

MB sits in her bumbo seat on the bathroom counter while I take a shower and she loves her friend in the mirror. I can see her from the shower and she grins at herself for most of the time, it's hilarious!

What a year

On Dan's 30th birthday last year we took a pregnancy test for the second time that confirmed we were pregnant! We took the first one a week before his birthday last year and we were so shocked and stunned that we didn't believe the results (or I should say Dan didn't believe the results) so we decided to take the test again. Everything happened so fast that it took a little while to wrap our minds around it and it's probably true to say that we are still trying to wrap our minds around the idea that we are parents. One year ago, we had no idea how much we would love this little girl. She is the one that we prayed for and we thank God everyday for her life and all of the joy that she brings. I love watching Dan with her, he is such a proud daddy. He always tells her how special she is and how God is going to use her to do some amazing things, it makes my heart smile. MB and I are blessed to have Dan in our life and I'm so glad we are his girls. Happy Birthday Dan, thanks for taking such good care of us! Here are a few recent pictures.

My two favorite people. The leopard print is courtesy of Tiffany. :-)

Bundled up to walk with me. She loves that she can face out now and yes, that is a burp cloth shielding her from the carrier. You can never be too careful with the spit up queen!

Going to get a pumpkin, thanks for the bib mimi.

Posing with the pumpkins. Of course my batteries died when I took the first picture so all of the smiles were gone by the time I was able to reload the batteries. Oh well...

Welcome to the world Lucy!

We have been so excited about the birth of Baby Doyal and couldn't wait for the baby to arrive. They didn't find out the sex of the baby during the pregnancy and we were thrilled that they had a sweet baby GIRL!!!! Lucy Eliza was born at 2:20am on Saturday morning (on her due date) and she weighed 7 lbs 11 ounces and is 22 inches long! She is absolutely beautiful!!! We were at the hospital for the birth and it was very special to get to share in that moment with our good friends and their families. Here are a few photos:

Soooo cute and snuggly!

These two have so much in common already, their love for sleep. Mary Beth seems so big compared to little Lucy.

Hello friend, we are going to have so much fun together.

Napping on the hospital floor waiting on Lucy to arrive.

How can this be comfortable?

The proud families waiting on the good news.

Big Week

We have had a very busy and fun week. Here are a few of the highlights:

- U2 Concert at the Dome - We left Mary Beth with our good friends Dustin and Leigh while we went to the U2 concert and it was amazing! MB had a wonderful evening spending time with some of her favorite people and we had a great time seeing U2 in concert. They put on quite a show! Surprisingly, none of the short videos that I took from my camera turned out very well but here is a group shot. Chris was there too but I'm not sure how he managed to hide between Jeremy and Alan. Thanks Dustin and Leigh for babysitting even though you were more than 39 weeks pregnant! You are troopers.


- Meeting the Tatum Tot - The Tatums were in town for a week conference and we loved hanging out with them. They came over for dinner without the tot on Wednesday and MB and I got to meet Luke and Merran for lunch the next day. Luke is just precious and Mary Beth loved him from the moment she saw him. :-) We wish they lived in Atlanta.

All smiles for her new friend

Hanging out in the car seats, she looks so small!

- The birth of baby Doyal - See previous post, Lucy is adorable!

- 50th Birthday party for Dan's boss at their home in Kennesaw. It was great meeting Dan's coworkers and their family. They loved Mary Beth and we were thankful that she was so good, everyone loved her and it was almost like free babysitting since she was passed around the whole night.

Here are some other random photos from this week:

Talking to daddy while he grilled


She likes to kick the wall of her crib during naps

She can still fit into the Northside T-shirt that she wore on the day she was born

Squeaky clean

Trying out the bouncy seat, she seemed to like pivoting on one foot and spinning around.