Papa's 60th Birthday!

For Papa's 60th birthday on May 5, 2011, the whole Johndrow side of the family went to New Orleans, LA for Jazz Fest... and it was a BLAST!! The crew included Mom and Dad, Me, Kyle, Dylann, Lindsey, Marc, Emma, Carter, and Ashley.  Tom was working in Seattle for the weekend so unfortunately he wasn't able to come.

We stayed in Slidell, where our family used to live when I was 9 and 10; we even took a drive through the old neighborhood and saw the old house.  On Friday, we went into town and went to the Jazz Fest to listen to some great music and of course eat lots of good creole food. :) We set up shop in front of a stage and had a fantastic time dancing with the kids and drinking margaritas.  Dylann did wonderful and Daddy even got her to take a nap in her stroller, which she's usually not a big fan of.

 

On Saturday, we went to Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter and had beignets and coffee.  This was very nostalgic because we used to stand in the window as kids and watch them cook the beignets and now here we are, with our own kids!

After that, we took the trolley through downtown and went to the Audubon Zoo.  It was exciting seeing all the animals and remembering the sites and exhibits from when I was little.  It's funny though, I remember the zoo being a LOT bigger when I was 9 years old!

I think Dylann was still a little young to 'get' it, but she still enjoyed herself.  Most of the time when I set her up on the edge to look over the moat at the tigers, monkeys, etc- she would just get entranced in the wood beam she was sitting on, or the bushes right in front of her.  Haha!  She did love the petting zoo though, and got to pet a goat for the first time.  And she LOVED the giraffes!  I think this was because they were really close to the fence and they are so big, their hard to miss.

After the zoo we went back to the French Quarter and took a stroll down Bourbon Street and then the French Market.  Dylann has officially 'Bar hopped on Bourbon'!  I hope she liked it, because she's not allowed back for at least 20 years!  It was great to experience as an adult now and we had a great time having cocktails and seeing all the activity go by.

We ended the evening with a nice dinner in honor of Dad/Papa.  We had a huge platter of "mud bugs" and Ash and I even sucked the heads.  Hey, when in NOLA.  It was a perfect way to celebrate Big Ed's 60th and a great family vacation with Dylann! :)

Beach Baby!

Dylann had her first official "girls beach day" on Saturday!  She looked adorable in her retro swimsuit and swim cap I got from Janie & Jack and she LOVED the beach. :)

First we went a tooled around the Sun and Sand Festival in Folly with some friends and then we parked at the Washout to hit the beach.  We set her up under an umbrella and she had a great time playing in the sand with some shovels and toys.  I kept watching her waiting for her to stick something in her mouth but she did pretty good.

Finally, I took her to the water and we sat in the shallow water to watch the waves come in.  Every time a wave would come in and slash her legs she would start giggling.  It was still a little chilly so we didn't go swimming, but she had a blast splashing in the water.

After a very eventful day I put her in her car seat to head home and she was OUT before I started the car. :)  I think she is going to be a big fan of the beach!!

Dylann's First Easter

I'm a little behind, but here are a couple of pictures from Easter.  I drove myself, Dylann and Murphy up to Nana and Papa's on Friday while Kyle went to CT for our friends, Colleen and Dave's wedding.  It poured the whole drive up with lightening and thunder which made it really fun with the scared dog!  We made it safe and sound though, and Dylann and Emma got to spend some cousin time together on Friday.  It's funny to watch Emma say "baby, baby" and point at Dylann since D is almost as big as her now. :)

Dylann & Emma

Kyle flew back to Atlanta on Saturday so Dylann and I went down to pick him up and had dinner with our friends in the city.  She got to see her Godparents as well as The Derens and Chase.

We went to 10 o'clock mass on Easter Sunday and made sure to get there early enough to get a whole row of seats for our group.  It was like playing hot potato passing the 2 babies between the 5 adults.  They did amazing though, no tears, no meltdowns, and they stayed pretty quiet.  Success! Dylann wore her little blue seersucker dress that my college friends gave me at my baby shower.  She looked precious!

Dressed in my Easter best! 

After mass we went home and had brunch and Great Grandma Barb came over for a visit.  We filled eggs with the intention of doing an Easter Egg Hunt, but the girls both went down for naps and we lost interest.  Maybe next year when it will mean a little more to them! Nana made a great dinner that we enjoyed out on the patio and then we had to pack it up and leave pretty early to get Kyle back for work on Monday.  It was a fantastic first Easter for Dylann. :)

Papa Ed and his Easter Bunnies! 

Piglet

Nom Nom Nom! 

My little "Puddin", as Nana and Papa like to call her, has officially turned into a "Piglet".  At dinner last night she ate a full jar of baby food, a WHOLE banana and about a 1/4 a cup of peas and carrots.  I think she ate more then me!  I don't know if this is a growth spurt or she is just officially a garbage disposal, but the kid can eat!

She also seems to be loosing interest in the baby food.  She really enjoys the different textures and tastes of 'finger foods' and I'm having a lot of fun seeing her reaction to new things I give her.  She still only has 2 teeth, but whenever I give her something I'm nervous about, she devours it and has never had a problem.

Speaking of, there are still no foods that she refuses but she always makes a face when the food is warm, I think I was always so nervous to give her hot food when she was younger that now she is only used to barely luke warm or cold, haha!

One Mommy lesson I have learned in the past few weeks...  Do not put out finger foods (a la Cheerios) while you are also trying to feed your baby baby food (a la MESS).  Let's just say spoon with mush and fingers going into the mouth at the same time ends in laundry, a bath, and multiple paper towels.  ;-)

Nanners!! 

"Get in my Belly!!!"

Groceries & Giggles

Groceries: So you know how some people say that puppies are "chick magnets"?  Well, I have discovered that Dylann is a "blue hair magnet" (aka-old person).  Yep, everywhere we go elders flock to her.  It took me an extra 15 minutes in the grocery store yesterday because of all the people coming up asking how old she was, giving her smiles, and asking her name.  One old man she smiled at came up and said his wife was jealous because such a cute girl was flirting with him.  I laughed and looked at his wife and she said, "He gets the ladies wherever he goes."  So funny!  Another lady who must have been in her mid-80's who was dressed to the 9's and had full make-up and jewelry on said, "I love her earrings... a girl is never to young to start wearing beautiful things."  Haha!  It was a pretty amusing trip to the store.

Giggles: The other funny thing I realized on this trip is that it is virtually impossible to get Dylann in her car seat without bumping her head on the roof of the car.  She is SO long, to get her feet over the car seat I have to lift her as high as I can and I still don't have room.  I've started doing this side angle maneuver but usually she, or the car seat straps, do not cooperate.  I think I will have to start teaching her how bend up those legs on cue... or she will just have to forgive Mommy for the light head taps now and again. ;-)

  

A week with Grandma B

This year for the week of the annual Cooper River Bridge Run, we had Daddy's Mom, Grandma B, come in town. She watched Dylann, while we had to run the Fitness Expo and sponsor the race for Boot Camp.  It was great to have the extra hands and I think the 'girls' had a great time spending time with each other and Grandma had a wonderful time getting to know her granddaughter some more. :)

Dylann with Grandma B

Thanks for the bunny Grandma! 

On Tuesday, Grandma got to come to Mommy and Me class and took some fun pictures of what we do.  She even got to participate and learn all the fun songs that I get stuck in my head and end up singing the rest of the day.  It's true, sometimes I even wake up singing "It's time to put the bells away, bells away, bells away..."  Ugh.  Thanks for taking these pictures Grandma!

we start every class ringing bells and singing

practicing our strut

standing like a big girl! 

WHOA- check me out!  

We finally got a nice weather day on Saturday and went to explore the beach and let Murphy run.  We had a great time walking bare foot on the sand and getting some fresh air.  As always, Murphy went crazy and was splashing through the water and making a ton of friends.  Amazing to think just 7 months ago we were all out here on the beach right after you were born....

Super Dog!!

Grandma and D in front of Fort Moultrie

Thanks for all the help and we hope you had a great trip Grandma B! 

7 months old!

7 months old

Dear Dylann,

You are now 7 months old.  Over the past month you have gone from a baby to a 'little person'.  It makes Mommy sad to see how big you have gotten, but at the same time, you amaze me everyday and it is so much fun to see you grow and learn new things.  You have so much wonder in your eyes and are always exploring and taking everything in.  If there was one word to describe you it would be, 'aware'.   Even strangers comment on how alert and receptive you are.  You are also a sweetheart!  You have started reaching for people this month and love to grab for Mommy's face so you can bring it close to yours and give me a big open mouth slobber kiss... or chew on my nose... whatever your fancy might be that day. Haha!

Mmmm, big kiss for Mommy

You have so many funny faces!

Erin Go Bragh! 

This month you had a lot of fun adventures.  We went to Springfield, MO for Mommy's cousin Ryan's wedding over St. Patrick's day.  You have now rode in first class 3 times!  What a jet setter.  You also received your 'wings' from Delta on our trip back.  You were wonderful on the flights again, not crying a bit and sleeping for 2 of the legs.  However, we had to be on the ready because you were still in your 'shrieking' stage and would suddenly let out an excited AHhhhHHHHH! every now and again. Daddy and I laughed a lot on those flights.  Your cousin, Emma, and you had matching "Kiss me I'm Irish" shirts and hair bows for St. Patty's day and you had a great time with the family.

The cousins checking out each others Irish Threads

Dad and D hanging at the Bass Pro Shop

At the end of the month Grandma B came in town for a week to watch you while Daddy and I sponsored the Cooper River Bridge Run.  You guys had a lot of fun adventures, taking walks, reading books, and spending time together on the beach.  She did a great job trying to get you more comfortable on your belly and you guys worked on crawling!

Exploring nature with Grandma B

You are still not a big fan of the tummy, but you are trying hard now!  If we put a toy right out of your reach you kick those legs and stretch as far as you can to try and reach it.  Sometimes you get tired and just lay your head down on the mat face down with your arm out stretched like 'woe is me'. I probably shouldn't laugh, but it's pretty funny!  You are really solid standing now and love it when I prop you up to hold onto the coffee table or my hands.  Sometimes I have to remind you to flatten out your feet though because you are ALWAYS pointing your toes!  You definitely have Mommy's feet and love to jump on your toes when you are in your jump-up... it doesn't look very comfortable, but I know how that goes, so point on little girl! 

my sweet monkey

You have gotten so coordinated with your hands, it is amazing!  You have started eating finger foods and are really good about grabbing things with your little fingers and bringing them to your mouth.  You LOVE black olives and mandarin oranges and so far have not rejected anything we've given you.  Let's keep that up, ok? With your coordination you have also have learned how to push certain buttons on your excesaucer to play music or make things move and the remote and Mommy's phone are new favorite toys because of all the buttons. Just a glimpse of life to come once you are on the move and start getting into everything!

You are now weighing 16lbs and are fitting snuggling in those 6 month outfits.  We already have you in 9 month PJ's and I can not believe how long you have gotten!  When I hold you on my hip now your legs go down to my pants pockets!  What else?  You love playing peek-a-boo now, and giggle like crazy when Daddy comes to 'get you'! You love the song 'The Wheels on the Bus' and bath time is now our favorite part of the day. :)

Who's that baby in the mirror?! 

I can't wait for all our new adventures in the next month.  It just keeps getting better and better.  I LOVE you SO much baby girl!!!

Love, Mommy