The Flack Attack

Last week, my roomie from college, Laura, her husband Michael, and sweet little daughter Lucy were vacationing at Litchfield Beach, and drove down to Charleston one night to meet us for dinner. We hadn't seen Lucy since she was about the age Gemma is now, and Michael and Laura hadn't gotten to meet little Gemma yet at all! We met up at Vickery's on Shem Creek for some yummy food and some hanging out time.

Lucy was so much fun - she was "dancing" in her high chair the whole way through dinner. It was so cute! After we ate, we took the girls outside on the porch that overlooks the creek. Lucy had a great time running and crawling around out there. Gemma behaved in typical Gemma fashion and just chilled and looked around a lot, taking everything in.

It was soooo great to catch up with the Flack family - we miss them so much and don't get to see them nearly often enough! And Lucy was so sweet with Gemma - she even gave her a kiss!

Weekend at the Lake

Cy's dad's family has a large piece of property on Lake Murray with a house on it, and they have been wanting us to come for a while. This past weekend, we decided to try a weekend at the lake (we had been putting it off until Gemma was a bit older). Gemma and I picked Cy up at Blackbaud on Friday afternoon with the car all loaded up and we took off. We made it to the lake around 7 pm. We were a little wary at first as we passed a rifle-toting shirtless old guy just up the street from the lake house. But when we got there, and saw all the work they had done on the property, we were amazed. Tons of brush had been cleared so you could see the lake really well. (The house sits on a small peninsula and is surrounded on 3 sides by water.) Cy's parents had done a really great job of fixing up the inside of the house as well.

It ended up being a really relaxing, peaceful weekend getaway. The Shealy land is in its own secluded little cove, so it was very quiet and there was no one else around. We had fun sitting on the porch swing and reading, playing Frisbee in the huge yard, going on many walks beneath the shade of the tons of tall trees, and we definitely enjoyed the many rounds of Mexican Train dominoes! I of course, enjoyed taking gazillions of pictures as usual. Even Gemma seemed to have a really great time - she was super happy the whole trip. (As exhibited by her huge smile in this picture - she especially enjoyed many walks in the Baby Bjorn with her daddy!)

Gemma even got to dip her toes in the lake. . .she wasn't too sure about it, but she didn't cry, so it must not have been too bad!

It was a really great weekend, and we can't wait to go back to the lake!

Four Months Old

Today we took Gemma for her 4 month checkup, and she is officially 4 months old today. The past 4 months have gone by incredibly fast - it is so hard to believe that she is this old already. And everyday with her is crazy and new - she is changing so much and is so much fun.

Not surprisingly, Gemma didn't even make the 25th percentile on everything this time. . .she is a tiny girl. (She still has yet to outgrow her 0-3 month clothes.) Here were her stats:
Head size: 16" (25th percentile)
Length: 23" (10th percentile)
Weight: 12 pounds 4 oz. (10th percentile)

Poor little Gemma had to get another round of shots today. I vowed I wasn't going to cry this time. I failed. Last time she had shots, she wasn't fussy but just slept most of the day. Today she slept for over an hour right after we got home, but when she woke up, she cried and cried for almost a solid hour. Then she fell back asleep and slept for two hours straight. That seemed to have done the trick - she woke up her normal happy self after that second nap. I really hate seeing her feeling so bad, but I know it is better for her in the long run.

While at the appointment, we spoke to the doctor about some issues Gemma has been having with eczema ever since her last incident with milk-based formula. We have a treatment plan in place for the eczema now so hopefully we can get it cleared up soon. At long last, we also have finally found a formula that works: Similac Alimentum.

Because Gemma has already had some issues with food allergies, the doctor wants us to wait until she is 5 or 5.5 months old before starting her on any solids, and then to proceed very carefully with what we feed her. He also said that she will have to avoid allergen foods longer than what is normally recommended for other babies her age.

Other than allergy-related issues, she was doing great. The doctor was not concerned about her small size, since she is growing well. She is just not going to be a very big girl (no surprise there!).

She seems to be doing great with the developmental milestones too. This past week, she fully mastered the art of flipping onto her tummy from her back without getting her arm stuck. She immediately flips over pretty much anytime we put her down now. Hopefully soon she will be flipping from her back to her tummy on her own (she has done it a couple of times by accident).

We are excited to see what the next few months will bring!

A Fun Labor Day Weekend

We had a really fun Labor Day weekend together. Gemma and I both really enjoyed having Cy home for an extra day. On Saturday morning, we drove down to Brittle Bank Park and took Gemma for a stroll (I of course took my camera and snapped some pictures). Then we did a little shopping, then went home to get some lunch and continue our Vampire Diaries season 1 marathon (we received the blu-rays on Friday). On Sunday, we took it easy with some more Vampire Diaries and hanging-out together time. We got to play a few games, which we enjoyed. On Monday, we went to The Park Formerly Known As Sunrise Park for more strolling/picture taking time. We took a towel and let Gemma roll around on it in the grass while we enjoyed the nice weather. Then we met up with the rest of the Shealy family for some burgers. After we went back home, Gemma snoozed for a bit and we took the monitor outside and threw the Frisbee around in the backyard. It was pretty hot, and neither one of us is in Frisbee shape, but it had been such a long time since we had thrown the Frisbee, and we really really enjoyed it. We finished off our fun weekend with a nice walk around the neighborhood, and some reading (with a few more episodes of Vampire Diaries thrown in here and there). It was so nice and relaxing - all three of us really hated it when Cy had to go back to work this morning!

Improper Use of the Bumbo

THIS OBJECT IS NOT A CHEW TOY. . .or is it?

I put Gemma in the Bumbo and I looked over and saw this. She was pretty much folded completely in half, so I wondered what in the world she was doing.


When I got closer, I saw this:

Yum. . .