I Could Get Used to This

For the past two nights, Arden has slept 12 hours straight! That means I've also been getting more sleep. It's actually made me groggier...like maybe I got too much sleep. Wednesday night, in particular. I got 10 hours of sleep. Last night was perfect, though. I got up at 8 a.m. this morning and got 8.5 hours of sleep. She kind of wakes up grumpy, too. Maybe it's because she's starving and has a dirty diaper. Who knows! It's a good thing I don't have to be anywhere most mornings. This morning, however, we had a playdate at 10 a.m. It was Arden's first. She slept until 10 a.m., and we ended up being an hour late. It's a good thing there were other people there! I'll post pics and details later.

There is a downside to her sleeping so long at night: she doesn't take much of a nap during the day. This makes for a cranky baby by mid-afternoon. It also makes for a tired mommy.



This is a napping pic from a couple of weeks ago.

Emerald Isle

We were determined to go to the beach today, and we did! It had been awhile. Actually, we haven't been able to step foot on the beach since Arden's first beach trip to Fort Macon. We tried once before but could find no parking. So, today we opted to check out Emerald Isle. It's about the same distance away as Atlantic Beach, just in the opposite direction. Once we got there, we couldn't figure out where to park. So we gave in, back-tracked, and stopped by the Visitor's Center. Then all was well. We found public parking right next to the beach. We were smart this time and packed a picnic lunch. I attempted to nurse Arden on the beach, but it didn't go well. She was way too distracted. I should've nursed her in the car. Luckily, she did eat some squash and pear during the car ride. It was really windy, which was really annoying at first. We got used to it, though, and it did die down a bit after awhile. It was also overcast, which was great. Adam thought this meant he didn't have to wear sunscreen...silly boy! He got burnt. Again, Arden wasn't too thrilled with the beach. However, once we sat down with her next to the water, she found joy in playing in the sand and water. Maybe she'll be a beach baby after all!

Sorry, mom, I'm too distracted to eat right now.

Windy!

Sandy Face

Sandy Toes

Arden discovered the beach is more fun when you can sit on it and play in the sand and water. And, yes, she did eat some sand.

Adam got beat up by a big wave!

She passed out before we even got her in her carseat.

Pioneer Day

On Saturday, our ward celebrated Pioneer Day. There were lots of fun activities for the kids: hammering, panning for gold, button sewing, potato sack races, and tug-of-war. They also did their own pioneer trail. There were stops along the trail where people told pioneer stories. I didn't actually see the pioneer trail. We went inside to cool off. Plus, we were so hungry. Dinner was supposed to be at 6:30 p.m., but we didn't eat until after 7 p.m. Don't even get me started on the food "line." I don't think I've ever seen so much chaos in all my life.

Arden had a good time, though. She had fun people-watching and playing with her friend Lucy. We were really itching to get out of the house. Oh, I/we need a social life!!!

Keeping Me On My Toes

I've definitely got my hands full with Arden these days. She started doing an army crawl a few days ago. She pulls with her hands and pushes with her feet and slides on her tummy. It's hard to say if she'll crawl with her tummy off the ground or not. She gets in that position often, but then she just flattens herself out before she goes anywhere. All I can say is, she gets where she wants to go, even if it takes her awhile. She has since discovered the photo albums under the coffee table, the vertical blinds, the fireplace curtain, and the collage frame with pics of her in front of the fireplace. I really need to get seriuos about baby-proofing this place!

She moves even better than this now. I need to take some more video.

Here she is sitting herself up. I have no idea why she's fussing about it, though. Maybe it's because I'm sitting on the couch instead of on the floor next to her.

The Lowering of the Crib Mattress

Last Friday, the day we left for Greensboro, I found Arden sitting up in her crib. I think she just pulled herself up by the bars, but we all now know she can sit up on her own. So, I knew once we got back into town, we were going to have to lower the crib mattress. It was the first thing Adam did when we got home. I don't think Arden was too pleased at first, but she seems to be used to it now.

This of course makes it more difficult for me to put her in and get her out of her crib. One of these days, I'm going to tall in.

Get me outta here!

Jump and Go!

We stopped by Walmart on our home from Greensboro. I ordered a Jump & Go online, and it was ready to be picked up. It's a bit different than the one she tried out at my mom's house. This one has a toy tray, so she doesn't bump her cute little self into the door frames. It also plays music...very annoying music. While Adam took his nap, I put it together and let Arden try it out. She seems to like it. Although, she gets bored of it after 10-15 minutes of hanging there. Maybe that would change if she got the "jumping" part down.

Happy Face!

Before the toys were added and the height was heightened.

Ok, mom, get me out of this thing!

40 Weeks & So Many Milestones!

Arden reached a couple of milestones during our Greensboro trip. First, on the way to Greensboro, she started saying "Num, num, num" and "Na, na, na" while she was eating. Then, while at my dad's, she sat up all by herself! She was sitting on the carpet, fell back, cried a little, rolled onto her tummy, scooted her knees up and her hands back...and sat up! I was amazed! I'm even more amazed I got to witness this milestone. The rest of the weekend was spent taking video upon video hoping I'd catch it on tape. No luck! I did get it when we got back home, though. I'll post the video later.

We went to Summit Ward for church on Sunday. It was nice to see some friends we haven't seen in a while. Afterwards, we headed over to Adam's parents' house to pick up our new computer (a Dell Studio One 19 with touch screen...awesome!) They were in Pennsylvania, so we just stole some of their food and headed back to my dad's house. We were able to spend some time at my mom's house on Sunday before we headed back home on Monday. Arden got to try out a jumper, and we took a little walk to the pond...which was more like a hike...and Chris spotted a hawk in a tree. While at my mom's, Adam got a call from his dad. They were back from PA, and he'd gotten a gift for Arden. So we ended up swinging back by there on our way home to New Bern on Monday. He got her a stuffed Hershey's Kiss. She loved it! So, as usual, we came home with more stuff for Arden. Hey, I can't complain! I'm glad she's loved!

Cute dress provided by my cousin Caroline!

Arden loves sucking on the camera's wrist strap.

Trying out this jumper borrowed from my mom's coworker Melissa.

I know, the jumper isn't intended to swing in, but Arden loved it!

Meredith feeding the geese.

Chris spotted this hawk.

Hanging out by the pond.

Thanks for the Kiss, grampa!

Adam strapped her in this chair for feeding time. That's Arden's cousin Keaton in the background.

Daniels Family Reunion

This past Saturday we went to Greensboro for a Daniels reunion. It was the first one since 1989! The weather was great, and a good number of people showed up...the farthest being from Indiana. My dad provided the food, enough to feed at least 100 people (50 people RSVPed.) At least we didn't run out!

Great Uncle Johnny, my dad's uncle, is the oldest member of the family. He's 80 years old, and no Daniels has ever lived that long. Arden is the youngest member of the family.

I found I didn't take as many pics as I should've. Good thing my cousin Jessica was the main photographer.

Great Uncle Johnny and Aunt Ruth with their nieces and nephews!

Various people with Arden. She won an inflatable penguin and a stuffed puppy for being the youngest member of the family. She loves that puppy!

The kids of my cousins. Arden was supposed to be in the pic, but she was snoozing.

Cute little Donovan! She wasn't thrilled about being in the photoshoot.

I want my puppy!

Catie pretending Arden's a vampire from the movie Twilight. So silly!

Well Checkup - 9 Months

We took Arden to the doctor yesterday for her checkup. Luckily, she had only one vaccine. It still made her cry, though. Good thing Adam was there to comfort her! She fell asleep on the way home. She usually doesn't stay asleep too long in her carrier, but she slept for a good 1.5 hours. After we fed her, we took her to Pleasant Hill Park. It's about a quarter mile down the road from us. She got to swing in a baby swing for the first time, and she loved it!

Her stats:

Weight, 13 lbs 5.25 oz (still off the chart, but the doctor said she's following the curve nicely)

Height, 26.5 in (25-50%)

Head, 17.25 in (50%)

So she's definitely still a little girl, but all is well. The doctor said we can start feeding her table food...exciting! He also said she should off a bottle by 1 year, which shouldn't be a problem. We use bottles so infrequently, and she already enjoys sipping water out of our cups.

Playing with toys at the doctor's office.

So happy!

Smiling at the nurse. Guess she didn't know who was going to be giving her the shot...hehe

Tearing up the paper. That's what the doctor gets for making us wait!

Daddy's comfort after the shot.

Weeee!

I took a pic everytime she swung toward me. Too bad they're out of focus.

She won't keep hats on her head.

Hanging out at the top of the slides.

Nine Months!!

I'm finding it really hard to believe that this little booger is 9 months old today. I tell ya, time sure is flying by these days! Arden goes in for her checkup on Tuesday...not looking forward to the shots!

These days, Arden's favorite things to do are sit, attempt to scoot around, attempt to pull herself up on things, smack her lips, play "Where's the baby?", and sip out of mommy's water glass. She isn't crawling yet, and I'm just fine with that! She's making moves, though, so I'm sure it'll happen any day now. Maybe I'll get this place baby-proofed before then.

Enjoy the pics! Of course, I took many more. You'll just have to check out the rest on facebook.