Easter 14

This Easter was a pretty great one.  It was Scarlett's first, and we had so much fun celebrating with her and our families!

The entire Easter weekend was wonderful.  Luke had off work Friday and the weather was beautiful!  We went shopping all morning, took a walk in the afternoon, and relaxed in the evening.  It was nice to have so much time together as a family.

Saturday we colored eggs with Luke's family, and then I dressed Scarlett up in her Easter outfit to do a little photo shoot since I didn't think we'd have time on Sunday.  Here are a couple of my favorites (P.S. I got her dress at Crazy 8, and I love it!) :

 

 Easter morning we went to  church and then gave Scarlett her first little Easter basket.  She was definitely most excited about the puffs.

The bunny on the right was from Luke's parents.  It dances just like Scarlett does, and it's pretty hilarious to watch them both dance together. 

Before we left to spend the day with our families, Scarlett took a long nap.  And I couldn't resist taking a picture.  She looked so sweet!  Nothing's sweeter than a sleeping baby.

After naptime we headed to Luke's grandparents' house.  Here is our family picture:

Here is a picture of Scarlett with her Great Aunt Judy:

 

With Nana

And standing with Daddy's help

Our last stop of the day was my parents' house.  I was so tired at this point that I didn't take many pictures.  Which really bums me out.  I will have to do better next time!  But here's a cute one of my dad playing with Scarlett and some of the new toys she got for Easter.

Honestly, holidays are stressful when you have multiple places to go with a baby. Since Luke is in the worship band at church, I had to get everything ready by myself (Luke had to play in all 3 services and was gone for about 5 hours this morning).  I worry about naps and mealtimes for Scarlett when we are away for the entire day. We have a million things we have to lug everywhere with us.  And I get a little stressed and grumpy.  Halfway through the day today I had to remind myself the reason we celebrate Easter.  Jesus died for my sins and rose again!  My petty little problems seem tiny in comparison.  It is very humbling to remember the price that was paid for my salvation. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, and remembered the reason for the holiday!

9 Months Old!

Dear Scarlett, 

You're 9 months old today!  Look how much you've grown:

 Each month I keep thinking it will be impossible for you to get cuter since you're already so cute, but each month you do it!  The first few months of your life, all we heard when people saw you was "she's so tiny!"  While we still hear that occasionally, that comment has mostly been replaced with, "she has such big, blue eyes!"  We can almost count on it every time you meet someone new or see someone who hasn't seen you in a long time.  I have to agree with everyone...they are big, blue, and beautiful!  

Also, your hair is finally starting to really grow in!  It is light brown and very straight right now.  You're starting to look less like a baby and more like a little girl each day.  I hate it and love it at the same time I love watching you become independent, but I also hate the thought of you growing up!

You weigh about 14 pounds, and you're 26.5 inches long.  It is crazy to think that you've grown 7.5 inches since you were born.  I can't even remember what it was like when you were that small! 

You have learned a lot of new things this month.  You are really into imitating actions.  You wave back at people (with both hands, facing the wrong way, but it's adorable).  You have finally perfected clapping and you do it every time you hear the word "clap" or "patty-cake."  You're babbling up a storm, and sometimes you get so excited you just scream!  And I mean, you REALLY scream.  A lady at Giant Eagle told me you were going to break the glass in the freezer aisle -- that's how loud you are.  It's pretty funny, and unexpected coming from such a small baby.  Luckily you only do it when you're overly happy or excited, and not when you're upset.  You still like to dance, although the novelty is wearing off a bit.  You also sing in the sweetest little voice.  Sometimes you sing yourself to sleep.

You're still giving the rare spontaneous kiss to us, and have started to give hugs.  My heart basically explodes when I'm holding you and you randomly tilt your head, pull yourself close to me, and rest it on my shoulder while you hold on for a few seconds.  Those hugs alone are worth all the time we spent waiting for you.

 

You still haven't started crawling forward, but that doesn't seem to stop you from getting around.  You can crawl backwards and around in circles, and it cracks us up how you spin yourself around until you get to where you want to go.  You can also scoot pretty well when you're sitting on the floor.  We kind of think you might walk before you full-on crawl!  You just don't seem interested in crawling.

Your favorite toys right now are any toys that play music.  It's so fun that you already have a passion for music, just like Mommy and Daddy!  You especially like you're stuffed dog that sings to you, and your Fisher Price vintage clock music box. 

Speaking of music, this update would not be complete if I didn't mention your favorite song.  I'm not sure how it became your favorite, but you are absolutely obsessed with the song "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen!  As soon as you hear those first few notes of the song, your head flips around to wherever the sound's coming from, and you're completely entranced for the next 3.5 minutes.  We even use it in the car to calm you down sometimes, and it works every time.  I call it the magic song.

Speaking of chewing, your top front teeth sure are giving you trouble!  They've been trying to poke through for at least a month, and they've changed your appetite, made you lose sleep, and just made you all around miserable some days.  I can't wait until they totally come in!  Although I hate to tell you, but you've got a LOT more teeth coming in, so this is not the last of the misery!  At least it's a chance for extra snuggles!

This month has been pretty laid back around here.  The weather hasn't been nice enough to get out too much, so we've hung out around home a lot.  Mommy was on spring break for a week, and we had so much fun together!  We also did the usual fun family outings and visits.

Next month we'll be able to go outside, swing, take walks, and go visit daddy at the park at work!  We can't wait to spend as much time with you as possible!

Here's what you looked like this month:

We love you so much! 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy