The Sweet Spot

The Sweet Spot has always been a sport analogy to me--the sweet spot on my tennis racquet, the sweet spot on my soccer shoelaces, the sweet spot in my jump shot. But there's also a Sweet Spot between the time of dusk and nightfall when this happens:

Getting a child to sleep isn't always easy. It takes rocking, shushing, rocking, singing, rocking, snuggling. Wait, that last part doesn't seem so bad....because,  before I realize it, I've hit the Sweet Spot. For Mackenzie, that's when her left arm goes limp (as shown above), she lets out a deep sigh, and smiles two or three times very quickly. Her body has surrendered to the day. 

This is by far the Sweetest part of my day. 

And, yes, she always sleeps with her arms behind her head. Even asleep, Mackenzie is a boss.

Happy 4 Months

Always fashionably 1-2 weeks late:

I call this the Animal Take Down

Limited Time

Our days are numbered before Mackenzie is crawling. She moved her legs as much as possible while I was pregnant, and has continued to be happiest when she is able to kick, 'stand' or wiggle around.

Equally impressive in this video is the way that she takes 'breaks.'

http://bit.ly/116kb0O 

Beach Baby

Bets on how long the space ball remains sand-less

Steve Kelsch

Peaceful end to a sad day.

We will miss you Uncle Steve.

Here's to fellow historians being in the afterlife, and to always having company for a 5 o'clock.

Right to Choose

Just saw on the CNN ticker (thanks to a delayed flight in ATL, the Boones are fully updated on the news) that the NC Senate passed a bill that added abortion restrictions. And that it was done in the middle of the night. Very concerned about the direction in which my beautiful home state is headed, and the manner in which it is doing it.

Have Baby, Will Travel

Our trooper on the economy parking shuttle....WNC, here we come!!

Comfort Zone

Today marks a year when we 1) found out we were pregnant and 2) came down to Miami to look for a place to live. 

I remember that I reacted to both in the same way: I kinda wanted to vomit. Granted that urge with the first item was due to morning sickness, but the visceral feeling of uncomfortable-ness was present with both life changes.

Josh and I spent a lot of time talking about breaking out of our comfort zones this time last year. I really liked our zone in Chapel Hill, and wasn't real sure why we needed to break away from it--much less have a baby in a new zone. One year later, having a baby and moving to Miami were the best things we have ever done as a family. It hasn't been without some tears, some "no one speaks English!" moments, and some growing pains--but the positives out of the past year's changes are tremendous.

Now to my real point--Mackenzie breaks out of her comfort zones on a daily basis.  As we approach the 4-month mark here are a couple:

Trying out some standing (under the watchful eye of our friend, Courtney):

And sleeping in her crib...in her own room...alone: