I've got a few weeks left of this pregnancy and I'm definitely feeling it. I'm slowing down, folks. About the only thing that sounds appealing these days is parking it on the couch with some ice cream or a box of donuts. So I've got to be creative to keep up with my crazy toddler. Yesterday I grabbed the popcorn maker and introduced her to it's wonder. We popped a bowl, toddled (yes, we both toddled) back to the couch, and shared some fresh popped popcorn. Entertaining, healthy, but most of all, a couch related activity. Score.

My favorite part of this activity came when June noticed she wasn't getting her fair share. She would take one kernel at a time, eat it, and then go back for more. But halfway through the bowl, as the kernels were disappearing, I noticed her stop and watch me take several kernels at a time and pop them into my mouth (because that's how I roll--"several" may be a bit of an understatement).  Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched me do it again. She looked down at the bowl as if realizing that it was disappearing faster than her little tummy was comfortable with. And as I reached down to fist my next bite, she grabbed my hand, shook her head back and forth, threw my hand out of the bowl and said, "nah!"

I tried to go in for a few more kernels and she quickly intercepted. Fairs fair. When did my girl get so smart?

Spring starts early in Sacramento. It's February and the birds are chirping, blossoms are popping, the sun is shining, and June is sporting her sunglasses. Constantly. I love that she loves them so much. They definitely pair well with her sassy personality.

Love my spunky girl.

Since waking up from her nap this afternoon, June's been sitting in her crib chattin' it up with her teddy bear and cracking herself up. So naturally, I took this opportunity to get out a shovel and the chocolate ice cream and plop my 35-wk-preggo self on the couch, waiting for the first "ma-aahmm" request from her to get up from her nap.

It has now been 45 minutes of jibber jabber and belly laughs. Aaand I'm out of ice cream. Nap time for the day is officially over I guess.

She's on the Move

There are only two things in this world that captivate our always-busy, can't-sit-still, soon-to-be nine month old. She is completely oblivious to anyone or anything else around her when these two things come into view. Nothing brings her more joy than FOOD and BOOKS. 

She can't get enough of either. I find it so interesting that, generally speaking, babies LOVE books. June's been mesmerized for months now. They're her favorite toy. She can spend half an hour just flipping through the pages of her board books (which I will admit is mighty convenient for her mama). There is something about books that all the electronics in the world can never compete with. When I had a classroom full of electronic savvy, t.v./ipad/video game obsessed second graders, there were days when all the games, treats, and tireless song&dance teacher perfomances did nothing to engage my kiddos. The second I switched on an educational video, no matter how outdated and mind-numbingly boring, they were hooked. I had twenty 7 yr old zombies staring at a screen in my classroom. YUCK. 

But...you know what? Books had the same effect. For all of my students. No matter their reading level, the book topic, or time of day. I usually read anywhere from 3-8 read alouds a day, and my kids were always captivated. I loved it. And I love watching the same effect on my own little kiddo.

So naturally we use these two obsessions as motivators to crawl. She's been rolling from wall to wall as her means of transportation, which was all good and fine, but we upped the ante with a few books and some Cheerios. And ladies and gentleman, we have the beginnings of a crawler.

There was a will, and by golly, the girl found a way:

(She snuck our avocado in a not so sneaky way).

June 2015

You knew it was coming...it's June doing JUNE things! (I'm sorry. I had to do it). Here's our favorite little bug enjoying her month.

Trying her first slice of watermelon:

First bite and she was a little wary, but stop and take a look at those thighs. Do they look like the thighs of a hesitant eater? No, no. Girlfriend does not give up on food.

Second bite...meh.

Third bite?....

 Success!

Getting sick goes against all things summer. But apparently the nasty cold germs (that June undoubtedly stuffed in her mouth at some point while at Walmart via chubby fist) didn't get the memo. She got her first real cold, and she got it bad. Ear infection, diarrhea, and weird eye-thing-that-looks-like-pink-eye-but-isn't-pink-eye.

And of course congestion. Holy buckets of snot. A congested baby is an awake and non-sleeping baby. And a non-sleeping baby is a non-sleeping, half-crazed mama. 

Y'all, I was desperate. So I turned to my good pal, Google. And this is what the internets advised me to do.

Don't hate it til you've tried it! Relentless, failed attempts to suck the snot out of my child with that flimsy, bulb, nasal aspirator wanna-be thingy led to this. One suck people. One tiny little suck, and bOOM! It is so rewarding. Really. (Note: the ways in which I find fulfillment as a person have dramatically changed since becoming a mother). I don't know much about Sweden, but I do know that some genius of a Swede invented this contraption and my doctoring-mama life will never be the same. Just spit out the wad of snot and have another go! Just kidding...there's a filter, I promise.

Look at the following faces, and tell me you wouldn't have tried it:

(It gets bad, y'all).

June's recently mastered the art of sitting. So, one day I plopped her in a swing to see what would happen. 

She loved it! 

Any opportunity I get to put her tubby little self inside a bathing suit, I take.

Lucky for me, I live within two hours of the ocean, and even better, Lake Tahoe.

And I'm posting the following pictures for no other reason than to show off how cute our little bug is. 

Chubby around the edges, smiles all day, and fat cheeks to kiss. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy June!

Six months!

Whelp, we made it to 6 months. I've managed to keep baby girl alive this far, and don't think I've inflicted any long-term, emotional scarring yet, so that's a win as a mom, right?

I've loved this new phase of parenthood. Being a mom tops almost every experience I've had. 

 I say almost because three years ago this summer I married Tim in the Manti temple. And now I've got my best friend by my side for eternity.

I never could have imagined the love and happiness that would come into my life as a result of that choice. That's where June comes in. This girl makes us laugh every day. The older she gets, the more her personality begins to surface, and I can't get enough of it. 

Love those chubby cheeks.

Although "chubby" may be an understatement.

There are two teeth hidden beneath that bottom lip.

This one may be my favorite. Simply put, she makes me happy.

Summer comes early in Sacramento, and so does June's opportunity to show off that chub in a bathing suit!

Though I still don't trust swimming diapers...

What is it about babies in swimsuits and laundry baskets that is so dang cute??

(I swear her new hair is growing in red)

This girl has a wardrobe full of cute tops, dresses, and leggings.
But nothing tops a baby in a white onesie.

Love that cheese-ball smile.

Speaking of smiles, her pal Mackenzie comes over to play a few times each week.

June LOVES her.

Tim and I have gotten her to belly laugh a few times, but it's always little kiddos and babies that set her off.

This is when the Ericksons came to visit.

Up to that point, we had never heard her belly laugh as much as she did when she was hangin' with the cousins.

We recently made the switch from rice cereal to fruits and veggies.

Pears seem to be her favorite.

"Mmmm."

Though, this girl ain't too picky when it comes to food.

And lest you think that's a look of disgust, June's what  you might call a passionate eater. She gets so excited before taking a bite of her rice cracker, she shakes her head back and forth, and then attacks with ferocity. She even growls a bit while she does it. 

Her favorite place to be is outside.

 Which is why I bought her these shades.

Oh, so fly.

But my favorite thing about this girl is her perpetual smile.

Love this tub-a-lub.


And Because I'll Forget:

She is in the 50th percentile for height and weight (17lbs/26in)

Her chubby legs sometimes get stuck in her Bumbo.

She loves to grab dad's beard and of course, mommy's hair.

She's just started to give us "kisses" on the face, which involve buckets of slobber and two teeth marks on our chin (ow).

Bedtime is 7, and she sleeps 12 hours every night like a champ, and has decided to finally give mama a bit more time to herself each day during nap time.

Her favorite time of day may be a toss up between dinner time and when dad comes home.

She rolls over like a pro, and she's starting to master sitting up on her own.

She's a binky addict.

When it's just the two of us at home, she chats it up ALL day--she's quite the chatterbox. 

And most importantly...
we love her.

I'm so lucky to be her mama.

First Family Hike

Tim had one more day of paternity leave left, so to make the most of our day, we hopped in the car and headed up to the mountains.

It was June's first hike, and she was pretty happy about it.

This was the gem we found hidden about an hour and a half from Sacramento, just outside of Tahoe.

 Bassi falls still had some patches of snow on the ground which we weren't planning for. It was chilly.

Hence the layers of socks on June's feet. Baby girl making a fashion statement in the mountains.

Love this girl.

P.S. Our little-chunker turns 6 months in a week.

Bittersweet.