Irresistable..

Couldn't help but find the humor in this picture. Someday Reagan will resent the fact that I'm totally amused by putting all sorts of things on her head and taking pictures, but that's years from now. In the mean time, I'm going to continue to have fun doing this.

Brief update on the sleepless nights post; still having some trouble, but think that we're just going to have to let her cry it out. The night I posted we were up only once; I went in to check on her and picked her up and she fell back asleep instantly. So I'm thinking that this is just something that she does in her sleep...not sure if it's night terrors or not, but hopefully we'll all be sleeping through again soon.

Sleepless nights...

I know it's only been a few days, but I still just can't believe what transpires before my eyes...

We've been having, shall I say, a sleeping problem lately. Reagan has been up almost every night at least twice for the past few weeks. She wakes up with this terrifying scream, like she's seen a ghost or something...and with the age of our house, anything is possible. Anyway, we've tried everything...lovies, more binkies, milk, water, hugs...nothing has seemed to work. She fights going back in the crib and is totally miserable when we leave the room.

And, to top it off, all of this has caused many sad days at daycare.

So, last night was the first night in weeks that she actually made it through without waking up...or waking us up, but either way, everyone was rested this morning. I don't think we really did anything different other than keeping her up until she just about collapsed in the living room. Now, on to night two...here's hoping for another restful night...she's been down for over an hour and a half now and it's totally quiet up there. Wish us luck!

How Time Flies...

It was just yesterday it seems that we were bringing Miss. Reagan home from the hospital. We had her pack 'n play with bassinet and changer all set up in our living room with lots of diapers and wipes stockpiled in the little cubby...there were changes of outfits and an excessive amount of bibs and burp cloths in there, too...

Now, a year later, my little girl is walking everywhere. She's totally into my hair stuff in the bathroom; she finds any means possible to get in there and pick up hairspray and makeup...What a girl!

And somewhere in there I think, you know, WE made it a year, too. It hasn't been easy, I must admit. I think we thought it was going to be easier than it has been; we've been together 7 years now...we must be experts at eachother...but no, this has been a huge learning experience for both of us. I think we're getting better at it; after all, this is just the beginning!

I can't imagine what the next year will bring, but I'm certain that there is a wonderful plan for all three of us. I can't wait to see what it is!

Mesmo'd

I remain totally mistified as to how we ended up with such a great baby who thinks she is the silliest thing ever. In true parent fashion, I can't imagine a day without Reagan in our lives and can't remember what life was like before she came to us. She is truly a miracle.

I was getting Reagan ready for "Daddy time" this morning (this is the time that James gets with her every day after I leave for work - usually about an hour) and decided that it was time that one of her winter hats should make it's way to the daycare bag in anticipation for the ride home. The easiest way to get it downstairs was to have her wear it. And after we got downstairs, well, let's just say it was a photoshoot. She was so adorable and cheesy! Anyway, she makes me laugh, so I thought you would enjoy a smile, too.

It's Pumpkin Pickin' Time!

Sunday, October 4th we took Reagan pumpkin picking. This has kind of been a long standing tradition that the Wright family started long before I came into the picture. I can remember thinking that it was way over rated the first year that I went with James and his family in 2003...and since then it has become a much loved tradition in our own family. But I digress...

A couple of weekends ago we went apple picking with another couple and their two girls and saw some signs along the way for pumpkins. Since at that time we weren't ready for both apples AND pumpkins, we thought we'd wait a week or two and then go back for our pumpkins. Well, we woke Reagan up from her nap at 2:30 (note to self...it's not worth it to wake a sleeping baby for anything) and hopped in the car to go discover the pumpkin patch. Now, would you know that we drove for probably the better part of an hour with Miss. Crankypants without finding an actual pumpkin patch! Seems everyone in these parts likes their pumpkins picked FOR them. We did end up finding a nice little patch somewhere around here (still not quite sure where we were) and got some fabulous pumpkins. Hoping that Reagan's is big enough for her to get in it once carved...pictures to come!

Newest Addition

Reagan wanted to say Congrats to her Aunt Stacia and Uncle Mike in Chicago on the birth of her newest cousin, Nicholas James Price, born today at 12:16 pm. He weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs, 12 oz and is doing well.

As far as things in our house are concerned, well, it's busy as ever! I just started a PHR certification class on Monday nights so I don't really get to see Reagan on Mondays. Kind of sad, but I only have another 10 or so classes left and then a big test in December (keep your fingers crossed that I pass!) and with any luck, I'll have my certification and will be further ahead in my career.

James is gearing up for another hunting season...joy. Last year's season was limited since we were expecting the baby, so I think he'll try to get out as often as possible. It's going to be lovely. Really. I can't wait.

And in Reagan news...well, she's growing like a weed. She's pretty much turned into a little girl over night. She is totally hysterical and is always the topic of conversation here. She's working on words (dada, hi and uh-oh) and is getting into everything that she's not supposed to be in. She has really taken a liking to my hair spray...go figure. I like it too. We took her apple picking on Sunday at Beak and Skiff in Lafayette...it was packed! I get the impression that she likes crowds about as much as James and I do. We went with another family and ended up leaving after about an hour or so...it was a bit much. BUT, we're learning all this first time parent stuff too. Note to self, when it comes to apple picking, a backpack for the baby would have been a better option than our jogger...oh, and bring a knife to cut an apple up for her next time, too. Ah...fall is just beginning!

9 months!

Today we went to Ryan McKinley's 1st Birthday and brought home this really cool birthday hat...and in true parent fashion, we made her wear it while she ate her dinner. And she seemed to not mind...really :)

It's really hard to imagine where the last 9 months has gone; seems like yesterday we were just finding out that we were expecting and now here we are quickly approaching HER first birthday and shaking our heads because it has just gone way too quickly...

And just when you didn't think it could get any crazier...She's crawling. Everywhere. We've tried to gate off the main floor, but she still managed to find a yummy piece of dog food this morning...I don't think she liked it because James found it in her car seat...but that didn't stop her from going for "dessert" after dinner.

8 months!

Reagan turned 8 months old on Friday, July 24. We had a house full of out of town guests for a wedding in Clinton, so we didn't have much of a chance to sing to her ;)

She's meeting milestones almost daily. She started getting up on all fours in the crawling position about a week ago and is inching her way forward. She really wants to move...we think it'll be only a matter of another couple of days before she's actually crawling. It's really exciting, but a little scary, too.

We are slowly getting in the process of baby-proofing the house. Boy, let me tell you, THAT's a task. I guess we didn't realize how much low-hanging stuff we had! We learned a lot from our friend's daughter Taylor, who is 16 months old and is very observant! I think we got a head start just by learning from her.

Also, this last weekend was the first time Reagan spent the night away from Mom and Dad. She stayed with Aunt Rachel and Grammy & Grampy Wright while we were at our friend's wedding. She did great (and so did Mom)! She's growing up....

Camping!

Ok, so maybe it wasn't REALLY camping, but it was our family's outing to the 'Daks the week after July 4th. We got to the cottage late on the 4th and stayed through until the 7th. Reagan really enjoyed spending time with her cousin Abigail, her Aunt Becca and Uncle Dave and her Grandparents. As you can see...she's quite the cheese.

This morning

So I've gotta tell you that this is the most precious thing I've EVER gotten via text message. I have been feeling a little, well, left out of the mornings at home since I'm typically out of the house by 5:15 and on my way to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate that James gets Reagan up and does the daycare drop off, but I don't get to see the morning smiles or hear the babbles when she's the happies...I usually get the tired out daycare baby after work. ANYWAY, this morning I get this picture message from James and it totally melted my heart. If I can't physically be there in the am, this is the next best thing. So I get this picture with a note attached, "good morning mommy. have a good day!" Awww!

Plus, the other side of this is that it's proof that she can roll over and be happy on her belly. Now, if you know Reagan, you will come to understand one thing (if not many)...she really does things only when she wants to. She won't be pushed or "made" to do something if she doesn't want to. That's just how it is. We have worked with her just about every night on the rolling thing and tummy time, but she fights us all the way. This is quite the milestone for us!

Anyway, just had to share. If getting out of bed was a pain at 5 am this morning, I'll tell you what, seeing a text message with this picture at 7 am was totally worth it.

Anthony Santaro Park

Yesterday we took Reagan to Santaro Park, a cute little park right up the street from us. It was really nice to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and some fresh air.

Reagan seemed to have a good time. James "helped" her go down the slide a few times (pictured left) and she got her first experience on a kiddie swing. The swing was...a little large for her (to say the least! she's a peanut!) so her swinging was short lived. We found some big kid swings nearby and swung with her on our laps. Then we found a bench swing and all three of us sat and swung together.

It was a nice breakaway from the house, really. It created a distraction for Reagan who is teething (and she had her 6 month shots on Friday) so she was slightly, if not overly, a wreck this weekend. Anyway, we all had fun and I think it will definitely be something that we take advantage of more often.

Webster Pond outing

Reagan and I went to Webster's Pond last weekend (it's this enormous "bird" pond on Valley Drive in the 'Cuse). We needed some fresh air and a change of scenery. Let me preface this next part by saying that since we moved here, I've been telling James about this pond and how great it is...that we really need to go to see all the birds and that it is SUCH a family place, etc..you get the picture.

Well, James was working, so I decided that it would be fun for Reagan and off we went.

I got Reagan out of the car and into the "big girl stroller" and proceeded to the pond...there were ducks, geese, swans and other birds everywhere. Feathers just a-flying. And then...a goose starts to follow us...it's slower than we are, but none-the-less, it starts honking at us and following us over to the benches. At this point, I'm freaking out. So...I got Reagan out of the stroller and put the stroller between me and the bird...it sort of stood there looking at me, but passed by after a few minutes. You can tell Reagan is so impressed by the first picture. It was then headed to the little guy at the bench next to us that had food (see below).

All in all, it was an interesting experience, though I don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon. Birds are rather dirty animals and scary, too!

(PS - our little stalking goose is the one headed for the little kid!)

6 Months Old!

Miss Reagan turned 6 months old yesterday (5/24)! I can't believe how fast the last 6 months has gone...

She had a doctor's appointment on Thursday last week and weighed in at 16 lbs 13 oz. And, she's 26 inches long! Such a big girl! We did find out that she had an ear infection which delayed a couple of her 6 month vaccinations, but that's OK by me. We'll go back on Friday for a re-check and for the immunizations. Until then, however, we're giving Reagan some citrus flavored antibiotic that she really hates. Fun stuff.

She's sitting up and really studying everything around her. She's a great eater (they call her "the little bird" at daycare) and seems to like just about everything that we give her...with the exception of green beans. Not quite sure how to get her to like those, but we're working on it.

Sleepy time for Miss Reagan

I took this about a week or so ago, but thought it was fitting precursor to my "Quiet Time" post. She's such an angel!

Quiet Time...

So it's about 8:45 now as I write this...the baby has been asleep now for a little over an hour and James and I are just sitting here watching TV. It's nice to share a few minutes with eachother at the end of the day...funny how we are adjusting to that as new parents!

Anyway, here's hoping that this blog is a success and that I can manage to keep it up! Our lives are (slightly) crazy these days with Reagan (who will be 6 months old on 5/24!) and finishing up the kitchen (for those of you who don't know, we started the kitchen remodel in January...it's supposed to be finished by the end of the month...we'll update on that later), among other things, too. But maybe, just maybe, this will prove to be the writing space that I've been looking for lately. Here's hoping!

Oh, and any thoughts on topics for discussion would be helpful as I get this thing geared up!

First Post!

Ok, so if you got here and were expecting to see some huge "to-do" ... sorry. I'm totally new at this blog thing and I'm going to try to get some pictures up soon. Please bear with me as I fumble my way through!