Moving Day is Near

I cannot believe that we are moving in two days. It is still just as bitter sweet as two months ago when we decided. But what still remains is the peace God gave us that this is the right decision. I am dreading saying good byes but looking forward to starting new relationships in Florida as well. Kevin is definitely ready to get things moving and is hoping to open his doors in November! So as we are getting things packed I am living in a constant state of clutter. And I do not like clutter at all!!!! Ayda has been a trooper walking around (or over) all the boxes. Amazingly she has not had any falls because of them. Our house is upside down! Kevin's mom arrived today and has already been a big help. Whether chasing after Ayda or putting stuff in boxes for us, the extra set of hands has been nice. We plan to load the truck tomorrow and pull out Saturday morning.

And since our place is a disaster I thought we would let Ayda try something new for dinner last night...

Her first bowl of food that she could tear into. And of course I picked a messy dinner, pasta with tomato sauce. But she LOVED it!! She went in with two hands and enjoyed every bite!!

Here are some pics of our place...

What used to be our eating area. Actually we just got rid of the table and chairs and I am thankful to have that extra bit of space to put stuff!

Our fire hazard of a bedroom. Let me just say if we had to get out fast tonight, it would not happen without some sort of injury. Might be safer to jump out the window at this point!

Our living room...aka storage unit!

And...my special little helper!!! She crawled in the box and helped me "pack" some stuff up! So nice of her!

Our internet will get cut off tomorrow so I will post some pics of the move when we get to Florida and get the computer up and running again. Saturday will be a tough day as I leave Atlanta. I was born here, grew up here, got married, and had my baby here. It is a great city and I will miss it. I keep reminding myself though it is always easy to look back and be sad but you can't live life looking behind you. I am excited to look ahead to the opportunities and adventures Kevin and I are about to start. I know we will be fine. God has made that clear to us both. Saying good bye is never easy though. But with those good byes we have people in Florida that are excited to welcome us to Clermont. So for now I am signing off, putting my feet up, and watching some tv. It's been a long few days and it isn't over yet! Be back in a few days!!!

Ayda is Walking!

Here is a video of Ayda walking. She has been walking for almost 2 weeks but we finally got it on camera! As you can see...she is quite proud of herself!

Playdate with Nathan!

My best friend, Jen, and I have been friends since we were 6. Six weeks after announcing they were pregnant, I was calling her telling her we were pregnant. We were so excited to be having babies together. They would be 6 weeks apart...how perfect. Well little Nathan decided to come 4 weeks early last October so the kiddos are 2 months apart. Ayda keeps up with him quite well. They live in Bham so we don't get to see them too often which stinks but when we can get together it is always so much fun. This time Jen was in ATL at her mom's house so Ayda and I headed over for a play date and lunch. This was the first time the babies actually played together and really noticed each other. It was a blast watching them chase each other around, play with toys, and mimic each other's noises. Nathan is so adorable and such a boy. It is crazy to see the difference between boys and girls even at this young age. All of Ayda's friends here are girls so I have not really been around little boys. Two words: Destructive and Hungry! It cracked me up how Nathan would just plow through whatever was in his way, while Ayda would stop and figure out how to go around. And Nathan had a huge lunch but stood at the table begging for more of Jen's lunch. SO cute!

It dawned on me that Ayda does not own anything with wheels (other than her push toy). She was not at all sure what to do with this dump truck that Nathan was pushing all over the place. And she was not impressed at all when it ran over her fingers. She kept her distance from the big yellow and red thing.
But she didn't mind checking out the turtle with lights and wheels. He seemed a bit more friendly. She had no clue how to get him up on the wheels and make him go though.
When it came to the blocks notice who has the blocks and who has the wagon they are pulled in. Yes Nathan took over the wagon with wheels and pulled it back and forth on the deck. Ayda was perfectly content to play with the blocks. So funny!
Ayda took a break from the blocks and chasing Nathan to try out the step. It was about 8 inches and went from the living room to the deck. She went across it about ten times in row. She had so much fun crawling down, turning around, and crawling back up. She was proud of her new talent!
Jen went out back to walk the dog and Nathan was a little upset by her departure. He and Ayda went to the door to look out and it was so cute to see Ayda checking on him while he was fussing. She knew something was wrong with her friend and just kept looking at him.

I am so glad we had a few hours of them being able to play together. Even with the distance I hope they can grow up being friends. Thanks for such a fun play date Nathan and Jen!!!

Nine Months!

I was waiting to post this after we went to the Pediatrician and have an updated weight to announce but the appointment got messed up yesterday and was rescheduled for next week. So, I decided to go ahead and post her 9 month Tommy picture before it is even later. I'll post the weight next week for sure. Any guesses on what Ayda weighs?!?! Put it in the comment section and we'll see who wins. Closest without going over!

She has recently started playing with Tommy too. He is quite a member of our family! ha!
This month: Ayda perfected cruising and really got into exploring. She is a pro at finding the smallest thing on the floor and eating it. I am constantly scooping things out of her mouth. She Also started walking 2 days after turning 9 months!!!! My life has changed again to say the least. Having a walker is much different than having a crawler! She also has started babbling more and more. And mimicking us if we make noises. She is so much fun and keeps us quite entertained. It was another fun month!!!!