Best Sound in the World

Bella's new T

Gerard told me I needed to get a life, in a nicer way of course. He drilled me on my hobbies, convinced that there should be more to my life than him and Bella. Maybe he was right because I started the process of making Bella clothing and I've gotten really excited about it. I'm also going to make her a scrap book to display the first year of her life and planning for that is something that I look forward to during the day. So I started off with baby steps. I took one of my old t-shirts and decided to cut it up and size it down for Bella.










It was a little difficult because I didn't have any patterns to work with so I had to measure with my eyes since I wasn't about to use pins while she was wearing it! The sleeves gave me some trouble and by the end of it I couldn't be bothered with finishing the collar but I like the way it turned out. Next project - baby sweat pants!

♥ Date at the Drive-In

There's a drive-in movie theater right in the heart of Shelby - a perfect "people watching" place more than a perfect place to watch movies.. They showed G.I. Joe and Halloween 2 and you tune into your radio to a certain station to hear the sound. It was actually really great - only $7 a car and we set up Bella's travel bed in the back seat and she slept the entire time, allowing us to have a real date. But before it got dark and before she passed out, I got some pictures with my cell phone.










Also, they have a snack bar which was so much cheaper than an actual movie theater. We watched G.I. Joe from start to finish and besides some expected corny lines, it really wasn't too bad. Gerard loved G.I. Joe as a boy so I think he really liked it. But then Halloween started and I lasted about 2 minutes.. It was pitch black, we're surrounded by woods and a lot of people had left by then and I was terrified. It's a really old drive-in (NC used to be in top 10 in the country for drive-ins, who knew?) so it was extra creepy - only gravel roads, no lights to prevent a glare on the screen, and it was a really big lot. But besides it being a really creepy place to watch a scary movie, it was really great for our type of budget and bringing the baby was so easy and convienant. They even give you a trash bag when you pay so that if you can fill it with your trash and leave it on the lawn and someone picks it up for you. Also, if your battery dies while you watch, you just open your hood and people know to come and jump you if they have the cables. It was a lot of fun and I definitely think we'll be going back!

Bella Has a Boyfriend

Yes, already! I thought she was a flirt, but Logan, her younger boytoy (2 weeks younger) is the biggest flirt I have ever met.. Logan is the son of friends of ours who also went to GWU but now the dad coaches on the team and his wife lives nearby. They finally met each other last week at Gerard's soccer game and they really hit it off..





Isn't that sweet? It's the first time Bella has been around a baby her age. Gerard's brother and his girlfriend had their baby at the end of July while we were there. She was TWO WEEKS overdue, no joke. The induced Sandra around 5 pm and she was having really strong contractions from that moment on, only she didn't know it because it was her first time around. We went to visit but stayed in the caf area and she came down to say hi and have a tea because they told her it was okay for her to walk around, since most women who are induced will probably deliver the next day.. I could see her contractions through her dress - YES dress, they didn't even bother to put her in a gown yet. I could tell she was having real contractions and she went back up to lay down. We went home and 3 hours later we got a call from Michael his brother who said "It's a girl..". We were STUNNED.. 3 hours!? She delivered a little after 8 pm and apparently almost in the hallway because none of the nurses believed her when she described the amount of pressure and pain she felt. No edipural, no complaining, and when we went to visit her she was in high spirits and didn't look anything like she had just had a baby (whereas I looked as though I had run a marathon). Anyways, Bella now has a girl cousin and they're only 4 months apart, so I hope they get along and become close! So Bella has been around a newborn, and all she wanted to do was play with her hair:

Mia (pro.Mee-yah) Marina Hefferon, 8lb 3 oz

Bella with her grandpappy Martin

Did I mention that Bella is becoming obsessed with hair? She has to pull our hair to soothe herself to sleep, she goes after mine when my back is turned, she eats it, twists it in her fingers and rubs it on her face.. She tried to pull her own but her chubster fingers couldn't get a good hold! I am telling you, obsessed, all the time, hair hair hair..

Styling/pulling really hard

Having a snack

Twisting and tangling it around her fingers right before a nice yank

She could pull all my hair out until I was bald, I'd love her just the same..

On a side note: Thanks to "The Griffith Family" for their comment on the last post, it's so easy to overthink and so nice to be reassured.

To vaccinate or to not......

This issue has been weighing on my mind lately.. what do I do when I can't see inside Bella's brain and notice any significant changes? I understand that the shots have been purified and if the APA deems them worthy and safe enough then I should sit back and relax and know that the worries of 100 years ago are no longer relevant this day and age. We don't have to worry that 1/2 of the children in the population are going to die of the flu, small pox, measles, mumps, etc. These vaccines have saved millions of children's lives.. But why in the world has she had so many vaccinations by the age of 6 months. The same day she was born they gave her a shot for Hepatitus B, a sexually transmitted disease.. why the heck is this neccessary for a brand new body to absorb? Her 6 month check up is in 1 1/2 months and I think I've decided to postpone her vaccinations for a while - I've complied with every single one until now and call me crazy but she is turning into a different baby since her 4 month appt. When we got back from England she had her 4 month check up, even though she was 5 months, and they gave her so many shots, one in each leg and one she swallowed by mouth. Yet the two in the leg contained like 5 vaccinations.. she hasn't been the same since. She is SO cranky and before she was so easy going.. how do I know that without the vaccinations she wouldn't have turned cranky just the same?? I don't and therefore I'm going crazy. She doesn't sleep as well, she refuses routine whereas before England she slept at the same time everyday, ate at the same time, and woke up at the same time AND now she has issues with strangers even if I'm right in front of her. Maybe she's understimulated and not getting enough social interaction? That's Gerry's theory.. She is developing on time if not fast and her weight and length were in the 75 percentile.. Am I worrying over nothing? Is this motherhood? I'm overwhelmed.. I keep reading stories about mothers who notice massive changes in behavior after vaccines with 3 of their children and refused vaccines for the 4th and they didn't have the same problems.. Gerard keeps telling me that they're the exception and our healthy baby who laughs and plays and rolls all over the floor, is the rule.. I think I'm going crazy..