Down and out

So I should start off by saying that Sunday still has zero teeth. I have lost count how many times she has psyched me out making me think she is teething when she is not. In her short 10 months of life she has had two low grade (nightime) fevers, a handful of "up every hour at night" adventures, days of no naps and days of all-day naps, a handful of runny noses, lots of chewing on things, always putting everything in her mouth.... Well. I am here to say, friends, that those are all symptoms of one thing: having a baby.

Oh yes.

You can call it teething all you want. But my baby has no teeth and all the symptoms.

Three days ago it started up again. Except this time it included watery eyes. So, watery eyes, a runny nose, a low-grade fever... she was chewing on everything, but also still acting her normal self. Then after about 24hrs she started getting fussier and fussier and I thought... this is REALLY it! This is it this time! Teeth! Finally!

Oh but then I went to bed last night... and I woke up at midnight and I couldn't open my left eye.

And the doctor confirmed it this morning.

Pinkeye.

Ugh. So, we're running a little slow around here. (I don't know about you but I did NOT remember that the Pinkeye virus also came with a slew of other symptoms like swollen glands, a sore throat and a headache!) Hopefully we'll be feeling 100% better by the time Tommy gets home. That's our only focus right now!

Look at these red, puffy eyes. :( Okay you might not be able to tell but I didn't want to photoshop an exaggeration. Trust me, they are red.

Forgive the mouth-wide-open. She was in the high chair shoving her mouth with food and this was the best I could capture in the 30 seconds I held the camera. :)

I've got some sessions to share with you guys in the next few days so I'll be back again soon!

10 Months Old | Lynchburg Baby Photographer

Sunday turned 10 months old yesterday. Gosh. I really just want to bottle up everything about right now and keep it this way FOREVER. But... ahh... life. Time just keeps on ticking. (sigh) I pulled the camera out a couple of times yesterday in an attempt to simply capture her life at 10 months old. No clean faces (read: runny nose) or cute outfits... just life as it is. As I was culling through the images to pick a few favorites for her 10 month letter, I decided I couldn't wait to show some of these to you (and her dad who is still out of town). Her expressions and emotions kill me. I love her so much and sometimes I feel like I want her SO CLOSE to me that I could eat her so she would be back inside of me. I sound like such a freak but I know you mamas out there totally know what I am saying!!

Look at this sweet baby!

(breakfast time!)

(pulling herself to standing on the side of the couch) (we got TV again, folks... here she is LOVING it) (such a cutie!)

Love her SO much!!

Sunday through Sabrena's Eyes

I feel really lucky to have such talented photographer friends that enjoy capturing my family with their cameras. My sweet friend Sabrena came to visit last Friday and while I was running around packing things up for a trip this weekend, she was capturing Sunday with her camera. I love that she was able to capture Sunday's silly expressions and moments of her everyday life. She sits and plays on the living room floor almost every day and it never occurred to me to capture that. I am always moving her to the light or changing her clothes and putting her in her high chair.  I have a difficult time capturing her as she simply is because I'm constantly trying to make everything perfect by encouraging her to smile and laugh. So - I love these pictures. They are true to her personality and her daily life!

That last photo cracks me up! It's like she's saying "Hey! Put the camera down and help me here!" That's her classic trying-to-stand spot. We don't have a coffee table so she practices on the couch all the time. I snapped the picture below the other day of her letting her frustrations out between attempts to stand up. So cute!

Thank you, Sabrena, for capturing my baby exactly as she is. <3

P.S. YES we use disposable diapers when we travel! This was about an hour before we hit the road and Sunday was all ready to go. :)

Mommy confession:

So, we have this very useful The First Years American Red Cross Deluxe Baby Healthcare and Grooming Kit:

We love it! Actually - just this week I pulled out the hairbrush for the FIRST time because Sunday finally has enough hair to brush! But we've been using the baby nail clippers, thermometer, and nasal aspirator for a long time!

However, I confess: I have no idea what these are for:

So... I use them to trim my candle wicks! They totally do the job!

Do YOU know what they are for? Do you use any everyday tools to do unique jobs?

Tommy's Birthday Weekend

I am so grateful for this man. He just left for a two week trip and I miss him already.

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend celebrating 31 years of his life. We ended up having three different parties for him with three different cakes! On Friday we kicked everything off by having a cookout at his sister's house where she made him a lemon raspberry cake. She knows him so well. :) We enlisted a good friend to watch Sunday that night and we went out to a concert. We are always going to concerts on Tommy's birthday weekend (it's his favorite thing in the world)… but in the past we've mostly gone to see the Counting Crows in Northern VA. Well, we LOVE Old Crow Medicine Show and as soon as I found out they were playing locally the weekend of his birthday I bought tickets. This concert was much more low key, but Tommy's taste in music favors low-key concerts. He loves that type of musical environment.

Needless to say, the show was awesome!! The Lumineers opened for OCMS and performed a great set. Then of course OCMS came on and did not disappoint. I really enjoy going to concerts with Tommy. It is so easy for us to leave all our worries at the door and walk in and let the music fill our minds. It is such a wonderful time… I love, love experiencing that with him.

Saturday was his ACTUAL birthday. Sometime mid-day I locked him back in our room while I set up his gift:

There are supposed to be 31 bottles of beer here (got the idea from this site) but somehow even with three people having their input and doing their own calculations, we still ended up with 29 bottles. #fail Anyway, Tommy is a fan of beer and made 20+ batches of his own up until Sunday was born. Since Sunday has been here he has laid off of spending so much money on this hobby (habit?). So I went all out and got all of the beer for him that he probably wouldn't buy with his own money. I had to call in the experts and with the help of some really great friends I think the gift was a success! (He is kind of a beer snob so it was vital that he enjoy every single beer I picked out!)

The rest of the weekend was spent with lots of family. We had a Sunday brunch with Tommy's parents and then dinner at his favorite restaurant (Outback!) with the coolest birthday cake ever. (If I do say so myself!) My friend Penny is starting a cake baking business and made this awesome Hokie cake for Tommy! The detail was so awesome and I love the way she ran with the Hokie theme. Look there are even helmet stickers on the Hokie bird! Love love.

I think by the time the weekend wrapped up, Tommy was feeling super loved. He is super loved. I have grown to need and enjoy him every day. I remember being younger and thinking "I don't want to NEED anyone." But, in marriage, it's good to need one another. It's a partnership. A partnership I wouldn't want to share with anyone else in the world.

I love you, Tommy!!