Florida

It's exciting when you realize you are about to embark on a new adventure in your life. Being able to share these adventures with your soul mate make them even more exciting. Craig has officially accepted a position with Bayer CropScience in Florida. We're not sure when we'll be moving, but we believe it will be some time in April. Depending on where we live in Florida, we could be just a short drive from a beach and Disney World! Also, there is a threat of Alligators in Florida, but for Craig, that's an opportunity to make alligator-skin boots for his lovely wife!

We're going to be farther from our family members, and miss the friends we've made here in Mississippi, but we'll be able to provide a vacation spot for family and friends when they come to visit us. And who knows, Craig might be able to make alligator-skin boots for them, too! There are a lot of unknown factors that we face. But we face them together as a family and with open arms and uplifted spirits, we're ready to make the next big step for our family. 

So here's to tans, mild winters, sand-dollar collections and Disney World!

Rice Cereal

Saturday, February 13, 2010, Charlotte attempted to eat her first solid food! I read the directions on the box to discover that mixing one tablespoon of rice cereal with 4-5 tablespoons breast milk should create the perfect consistency of cereal for Charlotte's inexperienced digestive system. Craig the scientist felt otherwise. He felt it was too soupy and so added about 2 extra tablespoons of rice cereal to the bowl. Oh Boy! It was still a lot of fun. Charlotte did a good job eating what she could of the cereal and we could tell that it's going to become something she enjoys. She made some faces but loved eating like a big girl from the spoon. 

She is currently trying to help me edit this blog, so I'm going to add some pictures and then go buy a King Cake for Mardi Gras! Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday! Craig will be at Boy Scouts so Charlotte and I are going to go to the nearby Catholic Church and get our Ashes! Then is 40 days and 40 nights of lent ending with Easter! This is one of my favorites because not only does it signify so much of what Christ has done for us but we get to eat chocolate left by the Easter Bunny! It doesn't get much better than that! In addition to chocolate, this year the Easter Bunny should bring some family members Charlotte has yet to meet. Enter Uncle Ryan, Aunt Shelby and hopefully Great Uncle Jim! Can't wait for the quasi-family reunion I have been for so long waiting!

Baby Got Shots

(Charlotte sleeping after her shots)

 

Today Charlotte had another Well Baby Check up where she attained 2 more shots and ingested the Rotateq vaccine. She thought the Rotateq vaccine tasted funny sometimes, and others she felt it tasted good. It was really funny watching her trying to figure out whether she liked it or not. She was cracking up about it, too. The nurse gave her shots in her leg after that and the first one didn't bother her, but the second one made her kind of unhappy. Probably because we stuck her twice, but she let out a little cry and then was done! She's so brave! I'm so proud of her.

 (Charlotte is just so cute!)

She is in the 90th percentile for weight and height being 26.75 inches tall and weighs 16 lbs. and 14 ozs. She's a big girl! But she's only in the 75% for her head size! She has a little peanut head! She's so cute.

 

 (Charlotte looks like she's working on those teeth!)

Of everything I've read and heard about so far, I think Craig and I are going to try to give her some rice cereal soon. Tonight we're feeding the missionaries, tomorrow night is a Valentine's Dinner at the church, Saturday night I'll be attending a close friends birthday party so Sunday we might give it a try. I'll post pictures of the first attempt once we try it out. I've heard to wait until they are 6 months old so as to prevent any food allergies but I've also heard to start them at 4 months.  Charlotte is just about 5 months at 19 weeks and has doubled her birth weight and sits pretty well. These are other factors Doctors suggests for the baby before starting them on rice cereal and so has given me conviction to begin her new diet. So we'll see!

Guess Who Rolled Over...

Charlotte Frances Shelton did! Because I can't attach video, I took a lot of pictures. What she does is while she's on her belly she brings her legs to her butt. She sticks her butt in the air, and brings her left foot to her side and kicks over. She's a smarty-pants! Hope it's graphic enough to get the picture...

My little baby is getting so big. :(