My First Big Day Outside: Yesterday was the first real spring day we had. It was 67 degrees! Mom and dad sat out a couple of blankets and we enjoyed the sunshine.

Huck Finn 

This Outside Stuff Is Fun! 

Gee Wiz Mom . . . More Pictures? 

God Made The Sun And It Was Good 

Eye On The Prize: Yesterday Halle started crawling!!! I put my easter pot of grass in front of her, and she just up and decided, "Hey, I Can Do This!" I almost fell off the chair!

Tripod: Halle does this every time, right before she takes off! 

Here I Go!!!!!!! 

Success!!! 

Playtime With Dad 

Dude . . . No Way! I'm Like, Nine Months Old Already?? Totally Sweet!

Nine Months Old

Here are some highlites:

I don't crawl yet, but have really been working on it. For some reason, I just keep going backwards! Mama says I need to learn how to "put it in drive", whatever that means! Anyway, I get up on my hands and knees a lot, rocking back and forth. I move around a lot more in my bed too! This month was the first time mom and dad have come in to check on me and found me asleep on my tummy! They, of course, flipped me over to my back, which I didn't seem to mind. So anyway, sometimes I sleep on my side and sometimes I flip myself around the complete other direction in my bed. It is not uncommon for me to be asleep in my bed with my feet sticking through the rails. I like to do this and think it's funny.

Another fun game I enjoy, is when daddy holds my hands and lets me pull myself up to standing. I can do this for hours! He is trying to help me learn how to pull up to furniture, which mama thinks is a recipe for trouble!

I am talking a lot now and enjoy babbling to myself in bed, or mimicking mom and dad. I am really starting to try and communicate, which is fun for mom and dad. My most common words/sounds are still Mama and Dada, but I have added some Ba Ba's and Ga Ga's in there, just to mix it up a bit! I can also growl, but be careful because when I do it I am really scary!!!

I still LOVE to be in my Johnny Jump Up and, if you stand me up on your lap, I am probably going to jump! It's so much fun. Mom says I should have calves of steel by the time I grow out of it!

I have gotten a lot better at being able to pick objects up from the floor, and I have definitely started to understand cause and effect. If I drop something, I immediately look for it. I can also object if you TAKE something from me now!

My blankey has become one of my favorite things. I like to hold it while playing, eating, sitting, laying, riding and sleeping! I don't really enjoy sleeping with stuffed animals yet.

I hold my cupp with both hands now, like a big girl. And sometimes I actually drink out of it! Mostly, I like to chew on the rubber rim though. It feels really good on my gums! This month I decided I don't like avocado anymore. Mom discovered this when I spit it back her. She figured that was a pretty clear indication! Hard boiled egg yolks were added to my menu this month. Ya gotta love protein! Mom has also been experimenting a little with my schedule of eating solids this month. Now my schedule is: 1st Feeding- 7ounces milk;fruit;cereal 2nd Feeding-6ounces milk;vegetable 3rd Feeding-6ounces milk 4th Feeding-6ounces milk;vegetable;fruit. I still like to try and grab the bowl or the spoon when I am eating, so mom is really working on this "No" thing. I have no idea what she means by it, but she seems to take it pretty seriously!

Our Sweet Girl

Two Front Teeth 

Halle loves to chew on frozen peaches. She is usually polite about it at first, but after a while she really gets going and shreds the thing. 

Yum Yum Yum! 

You Go Girl! 

Halle's hair is getting so long in the front. I can't decide if I should get her hair cut. It gets in her eyes a lot, and the hair clips I use are always falling out. 

I Can Do More Than One Thing When I Am Driving . . . Just Like Daddy!!! 

Get Outta The Fast Lane Buddy! 

A True Carnivore 

Get Me Outta Here Mom! 

Pink Dress 

Eight Months Old!! 

New Things I Do Now That I Am 8 Months Old!

I can't believe I am 8 months old already!! It seems like the big "1" is just around the corner!!!

At the beginning of this month, I achieved my second tooth! Now I have both of my two front bottom teeth. This month I also started holding and drinking from a cup. Mama still has to hold it for me if I want to really drink. Otherwise, I just chew on the lid! A big highlight of this month is that I finally seemed to master sitting up!! I enjoy playing in a seated position much more than I used to, but still prefer to lay or stand. But my favorite thing of all is jumping in my Johnny jump up!!! Mom and dad can't believe how crazy I am about it. Even when they stand me on their laps, I am always jumping. Another thing mommy and daddy were really excited about this month, is that I started waving. I am really fascinated with how my hand opens and closes and do it often. I have even started waving my whole arm when I get the urge. I don't think I know what it means, but mom and dad seem to get a kick out of it!

Some "not-so-fun" highlights of this month: my first ear infection; my first cold; getting blood drawn at the hospital to test for Lupus.

NEGATIVE!!!

The doctor's office called today to say that everything came back fine and my test results were negative! I don't have Lupus! Woo hoo!!

Thanks to everybody who a said a prayer for me . . . :-)

Thanks for Praying

We took Halle in at 10:30 this morning to get her blood drawn.

James said this guy did a MUCH better job, but still had to stick her three seperate times. Though he got a vein each of the first two times, (inside of her arm and foot), he just wasn't able to get enough blood out of them, since her veins are so small. Halle didn't feel the prick in her heel very much, but it was unsuccesful. The vein in her inner arm blew and so their third shot was in her wrist. James said the technician initially didn't want to try her wrist because it tends to be more painful, and harder to do. But that ended up being where they had success. They decided to try some warm compresses on her wrist before the draw, which helped a lot. He was able to get 2ml's, which he is hoping is enough. Either way, I have already decided that she is not going back. If what they got today turns out not to be enough, we just won't have the test done.

Thanks to everyone for praying. The test results will be back within 5-7 days. We are still praying for a negative result!!!!!

Love you all!

Prayer Reguest

Just wanted to ask you to pray for Halle. She went into the dermatologist this morning to have him look at a couple of rashy spots on her scalp. He said it looked minor to him, something that she would probably grow out of, but that to be cautious, he would like her to have some blood drawn. Apparently, rashy spots can sometimes be an indication of a serious disease called Lupus. The doctor said that if her test results were positive, it wouldn't necessarily mean she has Lupus, but that she could have it. But if her test results are negative, he would feel very confidant that she is perfectly healthy. Our specific prayer request is that the test results will be negative. After her blood is drawn, it could take a bit to get the results, because they have to send them out. He wasn't specific about how long, but I imagine anywhere from a few days to a week.

We took her to get her blood drawn at the hospital after her appt, but (after two sticks) they were unable to get her vein. James had to be in the room to help hold her down, and I opted to stay in the waiting room because I couldn't take it. I could still hear her screaming. By that time, she had been screaming so long, that we said we would prefer to try again with another specialist. They made us an appt for this Friday at 10am, with a man who is supposed to be very good. Please also pray that he will be able to get it quickly and easily. Also, feel free to pass this on to your individual prayer chains if you wish. Thank you all for your love and your prayers. They are much appreciated!!!!