He Wins Again...

My boyfriend won the first Gatorade Duel meaning he will be starting in the second row for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. He might as well make it a clean sweep - really start the year off with a bang!!

Go Spartanburg - I mean Mooresville.

Hey Boyfriend...Call Me...

Saturday night I jokingly said to my husband,
"Wouldn't it be funny if he won."

If She Doesn't Respond...She's Ignoring You...

Yesterday Baby EJ had her follow-up hearing screening at the CHOP office near us. Her pediatrician recommended it because she had antibiotics while she was in the NICU after birth. So we answered some questions with the audiologist and then she looked in her ears and did a test where she checked her ear drum reactivity. Her one ear drum didn't move much but we moved forward to the audio booth where she sat on my lap and turned her head to all the sounds the lady put through the speakers.

After the test was done the audiologist said she was very pleased and that Baby EJ could hear all of the sounds she put through - even the very soft ones. She told us to follow-up with EJ's pediatrician about the ear drum thing but that all in all she thought she was fine. They did say to bring her back when she's 2 1/2 or 3 and then they will put the head phones on her to check each ear individually. They can't do that with babies (but I thought the picture was cute).

Thinking of Times Gone By...

If I still went to concerts, 2008 would be a particularly good year...

• 2/14 - Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood
• 2/15 - Miranda Lambert
• 2/16 - George Strait
• 2/19 - Matchbox Twenty & Alanis Morrissette
• 2/24 - Rick Springfield
• 3/1 - Trisha Yearwood
• 3/11 - Tracy Lawrence
• 3/18 - Carrie Underwood & Josh Turner
• 4/3 - Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon & Styx
• 4/4 - Jason Aldean
• 5/29 - Richard Marx
• 5/29 - Travis Tritt
• 6/14 - Tim McGraw & Jason Aldean
• 7/19 - Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Leann Rimes, Gary Allan & Sammy Hagar
• 8/16 - Toby Keith & Montgomery Gentry
• 8/28 - Vince Gill
• 8/30 - Brad Paisley
• 9/12 - Rascal Flatts & Taylor Swift
• 9/20 - Martina McBride

That list doesn't include anyone who might be hitting the fair circuit during late August or early September. Back in the early 90's I went to 14 concerts a year some times. Oh well - now I'm just too surly and old to deal with it.

I Want To Do This...

Up in Lake Placid they do this cool thing when the lake freezes over. They have a toboggan chute set up that you go down and it shoots you out onto the lake at roughly 40 miles per hour. Just looking at this picture sets my heart racing. It's never been cold enough the times we've been but I would love to try it.

Milestones...

In two weeks my cute little pumpkin will be 8 months old. EIGHT MONTHS!!!! I can't believe it's been that long. As I read on the blog of a mommy of another June baby I thought I'd make a list of EJ's favorite things to do or milestones she's reached.

• she realized 2/4 that she can roll over in the crib at the babysitters and sleep on her stomach. She hasn't done it at home in our crib yet but I'm waiting.


• she cut her two bottom teeth on 1/31 & 2/1. For the most part she won't let me near them but I keep trying to take a picture to capture the moment.


• she had to have her head measured on 1/23 (to prove to the doctors that it isn't growing too fast) and I asked that she be weighed. She gained two pounds from the month before - bringing her to 18lbs.


• she loves her jumper and goes crazy in it every night while DH and I eat dinner.


• she loves to sit up and play with her toys


• she also loves to be held and carried around the house, since she can't get around on her own yet. Then she leans way over to watch what we're doing...cooking or whatever.


• she gobbles 4 oz of Stage 1 food twice a day and enjoys 4 to 5 (6oz) bottles. So far she hasn't met a food she doesn't like. She doesn't eat any "table" or "finger" food yet because we're still getting through all the Stage 1 foods. A sensitive belly set us back so she's playing catch-up now.


• she's finally figured out that she can use her hands for splashing in the tub too.


• her feet are never still, unless she's sleeping.


• she smiles like crazy and reachs for people she knows.


• she suspiciously eyes people she doesn't know but usually goes to them anyway as long as Mommy is nearby to save her. She started with stranger anxiety very early (at three or four months)


• she screams and laughs when daddy startles or scares her. Usually I am holding her when he does this and she kicks her feet and turns her head away into my shoulder - before turning to see if he'll do it again.


• she loves to play "where's Elizabeth"


• she loves looking at the baby in the mirror - I'm waiting for her to realize it's her.


• she will stand if propped against things but not for more then a minute. It's usually done so we can get a good picture of the outfit she's wearing :):)


• she takes her last bottle of the night in my arms in the rocking chair in her room. After she's asleep I hold her until the lullably CD runs out or my arm falls asleep because I know these nights will be gone too soon.

I think it's crazy that I'm already thinking about a theme for her first birthday party, because how can my baby be coming up on a year old. But I don't think I'd want her to be a baby forever. We all had a rough time of things the first couple of months and she seems so much happier now. I guess I just have to take things as they come and try to cherish every minute.