6 Month Check Up

Margot had her six month check up, last Friday, June 22nd. Here she is, showing off her flexibility on the scale at Dr. Gitterman's office. I captured a rare moment when her toes were not in her mouth.

She weighed 16 lbs, 5 oz and measured 26.5 inches long. Our little lady is a force to be reckoned with!

Margot Goes Bananas

Margot has really taken to this whole "solid food" thing.  Here she is, taking her first bites of bananas.

 Afterwards, she played with Daddy for a little while.

 She got tired of sitting up, and decided to lounge back and take a little rest.

It's exhausting being so cute!

Portrait of a Father

The past 6 months have been quite a ride for Tucker and me. I am thankful to have such an incredible father as my partner for this journey we're on. Happy Father's Day!

   

6 Months

 Last Saturday, Margot turned 6 months old. Here's our latest photo shoot with the sugar plum.

 Tennessee was sitting on the window sill and she couldn't take her eyes off him (which explains why she's not looking at the camera). She's Tenny's biggest fan these days, though I'm not sure if the feeling's mutual...

 I thought I'd see what she thought of her boots. She seemed to think I'd attached lead weights to her feet, so we took them off.

Back to my plain old twinkle toes...so happy!

 

At 6 months, Margot is starting starting to show preferences for how she eats, who holds her, and she is NOT HAPPY when mom and dad don't get her down for her nap or to her bath and bed on time. She's a busy little lady, and she likes things done on her schedule, thankyouverymuch! 

Sounds sort of familiar...hmm...

She's making more sounds, (mum mum mum is her fave) though there doesn't seem to be much intention behind it.

She's got new moves: the backwards army crawl is her specialty!

She's sitting up and can hold herself up, most of the time.

She's eating solids;bananas have been a success. Next up: sweet potatoes. The Baby Bullet is our newest kitchen gadget.

We can finally use sun block on her delicate skin, praise Jesus. Here mama was worried.

She's got a new nickname (as if she didn't have enough): The Monkers. Somehow "monkey" morphed into "The Monkers". Kinda sounds like a professional wrestler? huh.

Teething is just around the corner (no teeth yet).

Happy 6 months, Margot Leslie!

Run for Roses

After 16 weeks of running together, I ran the Run for Roses 5k with  the ladies of my running group, and my friend Amy!

Our running group

 Me and Amy

A few of the ladies from my pace group.

 After the race with my little cherub.

My cheering section 

 For the past few months, how fast I've been running hasn't mattered much. Just getting out and putting one foot in front of the other has been the objective. I do hope to get back to my old 8 minute mile pace some day, though I'm not feeling any rush. Saturday's race felt incredible and I'm glad to be back in the swing of things.

Maybe someday down the road, Margot will be running alongside me, or maybe she'll be running way off ahead of me. Who knows? For now, it's nice to see her and her daddy at the finish line

Peony Envy

While we were at my parents' house last weekend, I snapped some pics of the peonies from my mom's garden that she'd put in vases in the house. Pretty.

Three years ago, these same peony bushes supplied the flowers for a special day.

Thanks Maman!

Elizabeth House

On our way through Troy last weekend, we made a special trip to Elizabeth House. I'd never been there before and I wanted to see the building with my own eyes. 

In 2005, my cousin was killed at the age of 28 in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. She was beautiful, sweet, gentle, and I always looked up to her. As a little kid, I copied everything she did. She had struggled with substance abuse, gone through treatment, and had been living successfully on her own for a few years. She was even helping others in their journey to get sober and this is how many remeber her. Her name was Elizabeth Ann Charnock and this house was named for her.

Elizabeth House supports women on their path to sobriety and independence. Seven years after her death, it's still hard to accept that she's gone. This house, with its dedicated and caring mission,  is a beautiful way to keep her spirit alive.

Buffy's (our name for her) parents, Nancy and David, at the opening of Elizabeth House.

3 Years

Three years ago today, we were married. This is where it all began for us. Though we were married in spirit (and technically legally) before the ceremony took place, sharing our commitment with family and friends marked the beginning of a life we were excited to create together.

While I'm a sucker for looking back at these pictures and remembering how beautiful the day was, I have to acknowledge how good it feels to be where we are today. The milestones, traditions, and symbolic gestures in life are important, for sure. What the past three years have taught me, however, is that it's the day to day details and the way you treat one another that makes a good life and a good marriage. I am so grateful to have Tucker as my partner. Happy Anniversary!

Bonjour Colette!

On our way south as we drove home on Sunday, we made a quick stop chez Manny to meet Mlle. Colette, born in March! Sara and I lived in France together in college, so it's fun that we both have baby girls now with pretty French names:)

I got a whole lapful of Manny love here...Calvin is very tech savvy and took this pic of the three of us. 

 Calvin demolished Tucker in a game of Memory, especially since it was DINOSAUR Memory - Cal's fave. Seriously, this kiddo may be a child prodigy. I think the final score was 24 matches to 8. He's only 3!

 We had a quick photo shoot with the sleepy girls...

(these two can only speak French when they're tired. Oh la la, les photographes!)

 And Calvin joined in to liven things up! :)