8 Months Old!

Cally is 8months old today! This last month she has accomplished so much! Here are some of the great things she has mastered:

• Eating solid foods: When we first started giving her solids, she would have a few bites and that's it. Now she eats at least two full jars without any hesitation!! She eats like a champ!!She's also starting to come around to fruits. She's eating apples and bananas and drinking juice.

• Changing to a sitting position on her own: From her tummy she has learned to get on her hands and knees and push back until she's in a sitting position. This new found independence allows her to not get frustrated in one position since she can now change it when she so desires.

• Pulling herself up to a standing position: Cally now grabs on to whatever she can, a couch, a coffee table, a person's leg, etc. and pulls herself up and stands while holding on. The view of the world is so much different from up there!

• Crawling: She has finally figured it out!!!! She now crawls all over the house and no one can stop her! She has discovered this new mode of transportation and she's loving life!!!! Everywhere she goes is a new adventure and she is constantly finding something new to play with, tug at, or break...haha.

Now that she is more mobile than ever, I have to be that much more on my toes!!! And although a bit more time consuming, it's wonderful to watch her discover a whole new world! I'm so proud of her!!!

Winter Wonderland

Last night it snowed a few inches and I couldn't wait to take Cally out to show her snow for the first time! It was pretty chilly so we didn't stay out long, but I got to take a few snapshots of her in the winter wonderland.

A Yummy Mess

Before...

After...

Pit Stop

Now that Zane is gone, I have planned to go visit my mom and rest of the family in CO for a few months so they can spend some time with Cally and get to know her. I plan to work while I'm there and save a little so we can splurge on something fun when Zane gets home. The dogs will be staying out with John and Mary in Shelbyville, TN for those couple of months. Although I know it will be hard to be away from them for so long, I know they will be having a blast swimming at the lake, and running around in the woods.

After a few days of cleaning and getting the house ready, I packed up my things, put Cally in her carseat, and all three dogs in the back and headed east. Being so close to Halloween, I decided to stop by Yuma and spend it with Katie and Nick, my niece and nephew. It was Cally's first Halloween so I was excited to dress her up and take her along while Nick and Katie went trick or treating. Katie dressed up as Ariel, the little mermaid, Nick was the gatekeeper, and Cally was a little duckling. They all looked so adorable and it was so much fun walking around the neighborhood together while the kids got some goodies.

My good friend Steph and Jil live nearby so I stopped by and we all went trigger crazy trying to take a good picture of all of our kids together. We've been friends since high school and it's so neat to get together with our kids now and look at our lives. So many things have changed, but it's nice to know that we are all still great friends!

Tennison, Jackson, Cadence, Cally, and Carter

Stephanie and Tennison Tennison and Cally

Jackson (AKA Robin)

Jil, Cally, Stephanie, and Tenni

Oliver and Sam (Mandy's kiddos)

The following day, I accompanied my sis and the rest of her family to church where Klay is a member of the band. After a great sermon, we went out to lunch and spent the rest of the day hanging out and catching up. Although our visit was short, we had a great time! Thanks for having us Erica!!!

Klay at church playing the drums

Nick and Kaitlyn on their way to school Monday morning

On Monday morning I packed everything up and headed towards Phoenix. The original plan was to meet Mary in Phoenix and together we would drive the dogs to TN and then Cally and I would fly out to Denver. Thankfully, Mary's brother Ed was planning on visiting her so they they both met me in Phoenix and Ed took my place. I flew out to Denver from Phoenix and Ed and Mary did the long drive back to TN. Many thanks to Ed and Mary for doing me such a huge favor! I owe you one!!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Now that the guys are gone, the squadron wives try to get together every so often to visit and catch up. Since Halloween is coming up, we decided to get together at a Pumpkin patch nearby. Breakfast and mimosas were served while the kids played and we mingled. It was a great time! So glad to be amongst such a great group of wives!

A Visit from Carolyn

My long time friend Carolyn along with her two beautiful babies came to visit me for the day. She drove from Bridgeport, CA, where they are currently stationed, to 29 Palms to visit and decided to take a small detour on her way home and see me (yay!). I was so excited to finally have her over and have the chance to meet her newest addition, Scotty, and of course see her darling daughter Cailyn again. Also, I got the chance to introduce her to my newest addition as well. We spent the day catching up and reminiscing, and we even snuck in a little shopping of course. I have known Carolyn since we both lived in VA and back then are biggest concern was when we could meet up for a play date with our pups. Now a quick trip to grab some lunch consisted of strollers, carseats, baby bags, and 2 separate cars since we no longer could fit all in one! With a walking toddler in one hand, a carseat with an infant in the other, and another baby in the stroller we managed our outing. Life sure has changed since our VA days but with it comes new adventures and even better stories!!! Thanks for coming out Carolyn! We miss you already! Come back and visit us again soon!

(Pictures to come...)

Lunch with Great Grandma

Every year, Mary, Zane's mom picks up her mom in Oregon and together they drive down the Pacific Coast and back. Last year, they did this trip around Thanksgiving and met the rest of Zane's family at our place where we had one huge Thanksgiving feast. This year, their visit was alot shorter, just a quick lunch with Cally and I, and back on the road they went. Although short, it was great to see them and I'm so glad Grandma Guenther got the opportunity to meet Cally, her great grandchild, one of 100 or so. Thanks for coming by!

(Pictures to come...)

Cally at 7 months

I feel like I just wrote a blog about Cally turning 6 months and here we are, another month gone by! Cally is now 7 months old and although I say this often, time really just flies by! She keeps growing and learning new things. She is now sitting on her own without any help and is no longer wobbly while sitting up. She has also learned to go from the sitting position to her hands and knees. She rocks back and forth while in this position, but has not yet grasped the idea of putting one arm in front of the other to move. It's so fun to watch her progress. I know she will be crawling in no time. Cally continues to drink breastmilk but is also eating alot more solid foods now. She has an oatmeal cereal mix for breakfast, some veggies and a source of protein (chicken or turkey) for lunch and again for dinner. I have attempted to give her fruits but she hates them. I have tried everything from applesauce and bananas to mangos, bluberries, appricots, etc. She gags everytime I put any fruit in her mouth! Not sure why she doesn't like their sweetness but she much rather have green beans, sweat peas, carrots or any other veggie. Weird, I know. She is still waking up at night, but falls right back to sleep after a short feeding. We have upgraded her to a new, bigger carseat which means I can no longer take the carseat with me and plop it in a cart or next to me while at dinner. I now have to wake her everytime to get her out and place her in her stroller. She is also big enough to sit in a shopping cart or a high chair at a restaurant. Everyday is a new accomplishment for her and I both and we are having a blast together. I feel she is growing so fast but at the same time I'm excited to see what the future holds. She is amazing! I feel so lucky to have her. We miss daddy terribly and can't wait to show him all the new things she has learned.

(Pictures to come...)

Take a Hike

Every weekday, I try my best to walk over to Mike and Erin's and pick up Lizzy for the day. They don't have a doggie door and since I'm home all day with my dogs and Cally anyway, I usually will bring her over so she can play and not have to hold it until her parents get home. Although my three dogs love to see her and play with her, they sometimes still get bored and so does Lizzy. All 4 of them follow me around the house staring at me with their sad eyes pleading for me to take them outside. Keep in mind that we do have a doggie door and the backyard is all theirs but no, they want to go outside, in the front and perhaps even better, to the trails. So when I sum up the courage I take them down the trails. With Cally on my back, Lizzy on a leash and my three walking in front, we walk around the block and to the trails. Lizzy usually walks me until we get to the trails and then I release her and watch all 4 run around freely. It doesn't take much to tire them out, especially in the heat, so after a short hike we head home, this time in a more calmer state and they are happy the rest of the day. Here's some pictures of them enjoying their "freedom."

(Pictures to come...)

Saying Goodbye

After our return from Italy, every day became another day closer to Zane leaving so I dreaded every minute of it. Time went by so fast and now the day was finally here. Zane was scheduled to leave on Monday morning at 2am so we had all of Sunday together which was nice. We didn't do much, just hung out around the house, walked the dogs to the park, and tried our best to have one last regular day. By evening time it seemed like time was moving super fast and next thing you know he was saying goodbye to the dogs. It was hard to watch.

By 9:30pm we were on the road on our way to Camp Pendleton. After dropping off all of his equipment and picking up his rifle it was now 11:30pm. Families were all scattered in the parking lot, inside a classroom, or in their cars spending the last few hours with their Marines. It was super cold that night. We walked around, talked to some people, and hung out in the classroom for a bit. Finally, we decided to go back to the car and hang out there, alone, for the last part. Although I didn't want him to ever leave, the waiting around for him to HAVE to leave was horrible. We knew the worst was coming and him leaving was inevitable so those last few hours were dreadful.

When it was time, we walked outside as the rest of the Marines and their families did and began to hug. People everywhere began to cry and it was such a sad moment. We hugged and hugged for as long as we could. He then said goodbye to Cally, who was sleeping in her stroller, and gave me a kiss and walked away. He stepped inside the gated area and I knew then it was for REAL. I lost sight of him as he blended in with the rest of the Marines. I stayed and watched them line up in formation and after a talk from the CO, they boarded the buses. Meanwhile, families all around me were crying, as was I. Finally the buses drove past us and I frantically began to look for Zane, to get one last glimpse of his handsome face. I didn't think I'd find him, but he happened to be sitting on the right side by a window. We made eye contact one last time and I blew him a big kiss and he was gone. It was sad.

After they left, I put Cally back in her carseat to head home. She had woken up due to all of the commotion and was not happy. I tried to drive and head home but she was screaming in the back so I pulled over the side of the road at 3am to feed her. After her feeding, she fell right back asleep and homeward bound we were.

The first morning was rough,realizing that Zane was gone. Now, I'm just looking forward to seeing his face again and can't wait until we are all together again. Let the countdown begin!!!

Zane, I love you so much! I am so proud of you and what you do. I feel so lucky to be your wife and I will be here waiting for you when you get back! Be safe! We love you!

(Pictures to come...)

Sweet Pretty

Layla sunbathing in front of the house, relaxing and enjoying the warm sunny day!

Nap time

This melts my heart! So sweet!

Half a year old

Cally is now 6 months old! I can't believe how fast time flies! She has been learning new things and growing like crazy! Here are some of her milestones:

• She now weighs 22lbs 1.4oz and is 29 inches long. She is still in the top 97% percentile for both her height and weight!
• She wears 12-18month clothes and some of them barely fit her. She is still a chunky monkey and her little thunder thighs are to die for!
• Her favorite thing of all is of course her walker. She cruises all around the house in it and is continuously discovering something new (which means mommy has to be on her toes at all times!).
• She is talking more and more now and mumbles the sound "ma-ma" which I absolutely love to hear. Although I know she doesn't quite know what she's saying, it's still melts my heart!
• She has officially learned to roll over! Although most babies master this well before 6 months, her massiveness prevented her from doing this earlier. She is now strong enough to pull her weight! Haha
• She is now eating solid foods! Although its just a few spoonfuls here and there, she has learned the concept of chewing and swallowing and no longer spits the food out.
• Her two middle bottom teeth have come in and she looks adorable!
• When placed in a sitting position, she can sit for a short period of time without assistance.

(Pictures to come...)

Congratulations Mike and Erin!

Our wonderful friends Mike and Erin finally tied the knot and we flew all the way to Chicago to help celebrate their special day. The wedding ceremony was held on a boat overlooking Navy Pier and the reception was held while cruising along Lake Michigan. The view was amazing and the the bride and groom were stunning. We had a blast! Congratulations Erin and Mike! So glad we were able to be there to witness such a beautiful moment. Wishing you all the love and happiness in this world!

Our flight did not leave until the following evening so we spent our day in Chicago walking around, eating their famous deep dish pizzas and hanging out at the famous Millennium Park. We had a great time and can't wait to go back!