Keep your clothes on please!

Jesalyn decided to wake me up at 5:30 this morning so I figured what better thing to do than post a blog. I mean, who needs sleep anyway right??  Actually, I guess she didn't wake up.  But I heard her crying on the monitor and did my best to just keep on sleeping.  But, after the whimpers turned into sobs, I couldn't handle it and went in to her room and woke her up thinking she would just fall back asleep.  I thought wrong!  She has decided she is up for the morning.  On a side note, does anyone else's child wake up screaming in the middle of the night?  Jesalyn has started doing this quite frequently the past 4 or 5 months.  She will be sound asleep and then she'll start crying while sleeping (like she's having a bad dream) and then she'll just start wailing.  It takes us like 20 minutes to get her calmed down.  It just breaks my heart to think she's having nightmares.
But, I'm getting off the subject.  So let me tell ya'll what my little sugar bee is doing lately.  Walking.  Have I mentioned that she is almost independently mobile?? She will now walk with us holding her hands and will even take 4 or 5 steps on her own.  I  have gotten it on video (for all of you that are thinking it) but I still haven't found/figured out  the software to put my video on the computer.  We bought her a walker and she loves it.  She thinks it's funny that she can walk on her feet like mom and dad.

We have started giving her some milk (instead of formula) the past couple of days, just to see how she does with it.  For those of you that aren't aware or haven't followed the blog from the beginning (...thanks for joining up now) Jesalyn had a really rough first 5 months.  I wasn't able to breastfeed, though I tried for 4 weeks through tears and frustration so we went with formula.  She was on just about every formula out there.  She would drink her bottle, and an hour later, like clockwork she would start crying and then one night it reached critical mass.  You can read it for yourself here. After that night, we found the miracle formula, aka Alimentum.   We are a little nervous about switching to milk after all we have been through.  The first day we gave her a little milk in a bottle and she did wake up crying that night, but I think she was just hungry.  Yesterday, we mixed some in with her cereal and gave her a little in a bottle and she did pretty good (minus waking up at the crack of dawn.)  And today, Jarrod has given her mostly milk so we'll see how tonight goes. Fingers crossed!!

And lastly, I'll try not to make this too long, she has learned to take off her diapers.  Well, one style anyway.  We use clothe diapers and for a while we couldn't decide which brand to go with so we decided to buy two different kinds and see how it went (if you really want to be an overachiever you can read the blog I wrote on that here.)  Let's just say we have a preference now.   The Fuzzi Bunz are far superior in our opinion. Why?  Because it snaps instead of velcros.  Who would of thought that little difference would make such a big deal. 

 Here's why you want snaps over velcro people!

Cuteness

Fall is here, and we're going to enjoy it!!

*Reader Beware:  this post contains several pictures.  So many, that there might be a point where you think they may not end....they do, I promise.  Continue at your own risk!*

As I said previously, just because I haven't been blogging does not mean it's due to lack of content.  The Pruitt family has been super busy.  I will get to that, but let me just get this out.....In 21 days, my little baby will be a year old.  One question; how did his happen?!? I find myself talking to customers that are pregnant or that have a newborn with them, and I'm trying to relate. I feel like saying "oh yeah, last month when I had my daughter..."  Except it wasn't last month, it was last year!!  I stand behind my statement that every stage she has gone through has been my favorite.  It's amazing to watch her little mind work when she's looking at something or trying to understand something. She's going to be a genius, I just know it =) 

Okay, I'll get to the pictures.

   

So, a couple of weeks ago we went back home to celebrate Jesalyn's great-grandparent's 50 anniversary.  50!!  Not too many couples can say that.  It was a good time seeing everyone and Jesalyn, in true style,  made lots of friends.  When she wasn't being passed around meeting family she hadn't met before, she was chillin' with mom and dad. 

Reading one of her favorite books with daddy.

Playing "peek-a-boo" with mommy                     

                                 

The Happy Couple: Grandma & Grandpa Pruitt

Since we were home, we had to take full advantage and visit Shreve's Pumpkin Patch.  That weekend just happened to be the first weekend.  Neither Jarrod nor I had ever been, but that's something you absolutely must do if you have child in Fairfield.  I think she had a good time.  I know, we did!


Holding still while Aunt Janel snapped her picture with the pumpkins

We played in the grass.  She wasn't sure about it at first, but soon ventured out and got her toes in it. 

Oh yeah...and tried to eat it too!


That was all in Illinois.  But that hasn't stopped us since we've been back in Tennessee. Oh no, the weather has been too nice.  There's something else we've learned of Jesalyn, besides her being a total socialite.  She loves being outside.  Days that it was too hot to go out, she would stand at the front door and press her hands and face to the window and just stare.  So, if you happened to drive by our apartment and see this taking place, I promise we weren't holding her captive despite the desperate look on her face.

This weekend we took a little drive to a place called Leiper's Fork.  We've heard how pretty the drive was and thought we would check it out on one of my days off work.  The drive was pretty, all hour and a half of it (okay, so I might be exaggerating a bit on the time, but only by a little.)  When we finally reached the half mile stretch of what looks to be an abandoned town filled with a cute little grocery and 4 or 5 artsy places, we stopped to take look around. 

She still hates wearing her hat, but I was able to snap this photo mid-pull. 

Today  we went to the park to take a walk and on the way home, I wanted to stop at Hobby Lobby to pick up some ribbon to make her some head bands.  Does she wear them?  Nope!  She can't stand them.  I know what your thinking.  "In the pictures of her at the pumpkin patch, she has a headband on."  Yes, that was a one time thing.  Seriously, I can't believe she had it on the entire day.  I don't know if she just forgot about it due to all the excitment going on, but after seeing her in it, I'm determined to make her wear them.  So we went and bought more =)  My plan is to put one on her everyday.  When she pulls it of in 2 seconds, I will put it back on and give her something to play with.  I don't expect this to work immediately but maybe, just maybe, over time.   I started this plan as soon as I could.  We had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and I jumped at the chance.  Isn't she adorable!!

 

And in case you need further proof that my child is a genuis, let me show you what she can do.

When you ask her the question "where is Jesalyn?"  this is what she does: 

                                     

....aaaannnnddd. done.  Congratulations! You made it through!!                          

I'm still alive

I'm still here.  The computer that has all of my pictures on it is currently sick, so I can't get on to upload photos for a new post.  But, that doesn't mean we haven't been busy.  Jesalyn has been doing so many things.  This is such a fun age.  I love seeing her experience things for the first time.  Here is a picture I took with my phone....just to wet your appetite.