NC Trip

Many of you may have noticed that I have been MIA for several weeks. I am going to try to catch everyone up on the many adventures we have had during the month of October. On Saturday the 18th, Bronwen, Lila, and I boarded an airplane and headed to N.C. to attend a baby shower for my dear friend Jessica. Well, truthfully, I was the only one attending the shower, but we used the trip as an excuse to spend some time with Mimi and Dja Dja.

While in Shelby, the girls stayed busy:

Making cookies with Mimi (Bronwen is busily cleaning off the spoon of course):
Learning about personal finances with Dja Dja:
Experiencing autumn and jumping in leaves:
Modeling a warm coat (not many chances to do this in LA):
Being a witch, even if it was slightly unintended:
Basking in the sun:
Insisting on wearing stripes all over because "they match" and playing at the park:
Roughing in in nature:
Spinning around on the carousel:
and taking her first train ride.
Aunt Jana also joined us, and I would love to put up pictures of us too, but I look pretty terrible in them so they were vetoed. (Sorry Jana) Lila became Aunt Jana's little best friend, and I have to say has seemed a bit sad since we've been back. I have put a picture of Aunt Jana in her crib which seems to have cheered her a bit.

Zoo Adventures

T.J. took Friday off so we could all spend the day together before the girls and I left on our N.C. trip. Bronwen was excited about going to the zoo, and I had no idea that they had decorated for their Halloween event, "Boo at the Zoo." It was awesome because Bronwen is so enamored with decorations and Halloween. I suspect she enjoyed the inflatables more than the animals!

The newest attraction to the zoo is the baby rhino. So cute!


T.J. and I spied this little guy hanging out by the monkeys.

Lila wasn't happy that the giraffes were hanging out in their barn. It was a little chilly, though.

Getting Close

I fully expect her to be independently mobile any day now. Let the races begin!

Lila's Six-Month Proofs

Her pictures are in! How am I ever going to choose?
To see for yourself:

Go here
Click on "My Proofs"
Email: jenniferstromain@cox.net
Password: stromain

Rainy Days

Lila and her daddy definitely do not let rainy days get them down!

Cat Haven Gala

T.J. and I enjoyed an evening out together last Friday. It was the annual Cat Haven Gala, and it provided us with the excuse to shower, shave (some of us), scrub, bleach, polish, pluck, paste, paint, dab, brush, and powder ourselves to perfection. It was for charity, after all!

Okay, so T.J. just rinsed and dressed, but he already looks good with no effort at all.

Little Boos

T.J. had another photo session today, and I decided that it was time to get in the spirit of the season. Here are just a few--it was hard to choose!

Two Peas

Poor Lila had leakage last night--or very early this morning, so I had to change her and bring her into our room around 5:45. I decided to go ahead and get ready for church and asked T.J. to watch Lila since she was wide awake.


I showered, put on my make-up, and dressed and when I emerged from the bathroom, I found this:

BFFs

As everyone knows, I have three cats. They are: Mollie, the oldest who is totally my devoted companion, Cassie who is all about T.J., and Pepper who is just happy to be here.

Pepper early on was the most brave when Bronwen joined our family. Pepper loved sharing baby toys and coached Bronwen during tummy time. She would sit in the bouncy seat and sleep in the crib. Yes, one of Bronwen's first words was even "Pepuh."

For weeks now Bronwen was been telling everyone that Cassie is her favorite. We have no idea why, as Cassie has an innate fear of Bronwen. If Bronwen comes in the room, Cassie streaks out. Mollie also avoids Bronwen or just gives her the usual withering stare that she gives to everyone.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered this: Bronwen and Mollie, hanging out in the bathroom together! (I was even more shocked to discover that Bronwen can now get on the counter by herself.)Mollie also depends on Bronwen for petting and rubbing, and now I find Mollie is constantly wrapping herself around Bronwen's legs and rubbing her face against Bronwen's hands. Mollie also will spend nap time crying outside of Bronwen's door--I used to think she was crying for me, but now I know the truth.

Laughing Lila

Memories

I wanted to do a comparison and show Bronwen's first eating experience--I used to write so much more in my posts. Funny how I had more time...

Bronwen's First food

A Week of Firsts

I know I have been remiss in updating lately, but things have just been crazy busy. Bronwen has finally learned how to use the potty, and making sure she goes has pretty much become a full time job. Bronwen has gone two days now without any accidents, and I am so proud of her! I am also grateful to a family friend for recommending a book on potty training that provided some valuable techniques to get things moving, in a manner of speaking!

Meanwhile, Lila is now 6-months old, so I need to start giving her real food. This also entails finding time to make her baby food. I think that will be a project for Saturday. T.J. is out of town for most of this week, so it has been interesting juggling all these major milestones.

Anyhow, here is a glimpse of Lila's first experience with mushy baby cereal--with a bit of banana.



Luckily I do have a trusty assistant--whether she helps or hinders is yet to be determined.