Birthday Party!!!!!

We had Sutton's 1st Birthday Party yesterday, and it was a blast!  So many friends and family came--we are so blessed to be surrounded by such caring, loving, giving people!  As Jack and I were opening the HUGE amount of gifts for Sutton after the party, we talked about how thankful we are...

Sutton had a great time...after we got her out of her tutu, into her swimsuit and let her go outside.  That girl loves the water!  It was really neat seeing her play and interact with all her friends--Addison, Kace, Carter, Kye, and Rylan--and cousins--Finn and Cade.  And, how pleased were we when she already knew how to climb up and slide down her jungle gym--she's so smart...and fun...and wonderful!  I can brag about her on her 1st birthday, right???

Just wanted to say a BIG thanks to everyone for coming out to help us celebrate Sutton's 1st birthday--it is special to us, and y'all being there made it even better!

Thanks!!!!!!

Sutton at 11 Months

Wow!  This year has gone by soooo fast!  We're gearing up for Sutton's first birthday and having so much with her. 

We had a really fun Mother's Day--had a bath, went to church, had dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Jenn and Mike, and just had an all-around great day!  My Mother's Day gift came a couple of days after, but it was totally worth it!  Jack captured some special moments from the day and put them in a picture frame to commemorate my first Mother's Day--it was so thoughtful, and I had no idea he was doing it!

Sutton is saying book and Da-da, she waves hi and bye, and has learned to high five too!  We play hide-n-seek and peek-a-boo a lot.  We had a play date on Wed., and Sutton had so much fun.  Other than sitting on Gavin, she played really well with him.  She likes to sit on things, lean against legs and furniture, stomp, climb all over her chair, and give hugs and kisses to her stuffed animals.   She's so much fun!

Long Overdue Update

Sutton has been walking for a couple of months now, and she's definitely on the move. She's really sturdy and has even started running a little. She plays hide-n-seek around the kitchen island and loves to be chased around the whole house. If we start to walk toward her, she almost always thinks we are playing chase and will turn around to run away. She also likes to offer us a stuffed animal or toy, and then really quickly before we can get, turn around and keep it away from us. She's so smart! She's got 4 top teeth and 3 bottom teeth, and they are so cute. Her hair is getting so long, and it's lightened up a lot. And, friends are saying that she's looking more like Jack now, and I think he's pleased to hear it.

Since the last time I blogged, we have been to Fredericksburg and Los Angeles to visit some of Jack's family. In LA, we got to see our nephews Finn and Cade--they are so cute! It was really fun to see Sutton interact with Finn. It was the first time I think she really noticed another "little person" and wanted to play with him. They played chase around Lara and Jesse's house and giggled a lot! We went to Disneyland, and Sutton rode a couple of the little kiddie rides, and I think we may have a dare devil on our hands; She doesn't seem to be scared of anything.

She's babbling a whole bunch, and she says her first word "Bot" for just about everything. She knows it's the word for bottle, but she also uses it for a lot of other things. She loves her giraffe stuffed animal that she sleeps with...going into her room to try to pull it through the crib rails, hugging and shoving her face into it to give it "lovin." It's really cute how she loves to give things "kisses."

I was thinking about her when she was just a tiny baby, and I remembered how she liked to be bounced by Mommy and Daddy. For a couple of weeks, I would Cha Cha with her when she got fussy, and it would soothe her...maybe we have a dancer in the making? She's such a sweetie--she laughs so much and plays so well! However, I've started to see hints of the drama queen in her personality: if we tell her no or take something away from her, she will start sobbing and throw herself on the floor. Also, she's tried to pinch me a couple of times when I've done something she doesn't like, so as wonderful as she is, she's still just like every other child learning to cope with not getting everything she wants.

We have one month until her 1st birthday, and everyday I'm amazed at how quickly a year can pass...what a lot of fun we're having with Sutton!

Nine Months Old Today

Sutton is nine months old today, and she is such a big girl.  As I mentioned on my last blog, she has started walking, and she pretty much practices non-stop!  She's gotten considerably better in the week since she started.  Jack has uploaded some new video of her walking from yesterday on our dropshots page.  Today, we started a swim class, and Sutton LOVED it!  She squealed and laughed and kicked her feet so much that I had to turn away from the group, so she wouldn't splash other people in the class.  I'm going to get some video next week, so stay posted.  

Sutton Walked Today!!!

Sutton took some steps today without any help!  She did it several times, but the most so far was about 7-8 steps.  She even stopped with her foot lifted to regain her balance, and then took a couple more steps...I'll post video on dropshots when we can get it.  She's such a big girl!

I've added video of her walking later in the evening.

 

Valentine's Day with Sutton

So, Jack and I had reservations at Del Frisco's for dinner on V-Day, but we decided we were too cheap to go...actually, I was just excited about dessert, and we decided that we could get a yummy dessert at a cheap place!  We went to Hooter's--yes, on Valentine's Day!  Am I the coolest wife or what????  We had dessert at Hooter's, and then we went to Prairie House with Sutton for dinner.  We had such a good time, and Sutton got really tickled at dinner.  Check out the pics and video on our dropshots page.

Long Overdue Update on Sutton

Here's the rundown:

Christmas was great, and Sutton got lots of fantastic things from everyone--toys, shearling boots, Baby Einstein videos, her first chair, clothes, books, and rocking sheep.  She definitely racked up the goods, and we had so much fun with her!  We spent Christmas at my parents' house and Jack's parents came over for Christmas dinner and some Wii sports.  

What's Sutton doing now?  Well...

1.  She's pulling up on everything

2. She's walking behind a walker 

3. She's walking while holding just one of our hands

4. She's saying Mama, though she's not connecting it to me

5. She's clapping and starting to wave

6. She's eating all kinds of baby food and real food: tiny pieces of bananas, peaches, bread, chicken, turkey, green beans, and lots of other stuff---peas, rice, avocado--she's such a good eater!

7.  Her hair is getting pretty long, and I'm thinking about cutting some little bangs.

8. She loves the doggies, and Koda seems to really like her too

9. She only likes books to chew on

10. She loves the bath and bath toys

11. She's gone to daycare during MOPS and did so well

12. She's starting a swim class in March

13. She loves the swing at our neighborhood park

Oh, and we've got a new nephew Cade!  I'll post pics when I've got them.

 

Our Little Mover and Shaker

Just wanted to update everyone...Sutton is: crawling, pulling up (on everything!), sitting up unsupported, and...she's getting her first tooth!!!  I can't believe everything's happening so fast.  She's such a cutie and so much fun!  

We went Christmas shopping on Sunday, and we got her a really cool gift (at least we think so, she may hate it!).  We're excited about Christmas, and we're spending with with my family this year, but Jack's mom and dad are coming in to spend the day with us as well.  So, Sutton will have both sets of grandparents with her on her first Christmas!

I'm thinking about training for a half-marathon to be completed some time in late April or early May (it's hard to get motivated), so if anyone is interested in training with me, let me know--I need an accountability partner!!!!

I've added a couple of photos and videos to dropshots, so check them out.

Sutton's Six Months Old Today!

Wow!  Can't believe it's been a month!  So much has gone on...trip to Fredericksburg for Jack's cousin's wedding, trip to Houston for Jack's friend's wedding, and then a trip to Tyler for Thanksgiving!  We've been super busy.

First, we headed down to Fredericksburg for the family wedding.  We stayed in a really neat B&B with Nonna, Pops, Lara, Jesse, and Finn.  Finn is soooo cute!  We had a lot of fun with them.  It was also the first time for Jack's family in Fredericksburg to meet Sutton...she was kind of a grouch.  I think the long trip down there took its toll!

The following weekend, we headed to Houston for Peyton's wedding...another long trip in the car, but Sutton was a champ!  She slept the whole way back!  Again, this was the first time for some of Jon, Cathy, and Jack's friends to meet Sutton--she was a good girl this time!:)

In the meantime, Sutton has been rolling over like a pro, and guess what???!!!  She started crawling on Saturday, November 22nd--She's just under 6 months old!  The crawling was a little shaky, but she's moving right along now, and I just know that we'll be chasing her around like crazy people for the next several months...or years!  She's also been sitting in a high chair at restaurants and riding in the seat in shopping carts--she holds on and swings her legs and you can just tell that she's so proud of herself and having so much fun!

We spent Thanksgiving with Jack's family in Tyler, and we had a great time. Finn is talking so much, and he says everyone's name.  Lara said that he's woken up a couple of times, saying, "Sutton...picture."  He's been wanting to see the pictures of Sutton on the computer--isn't that cute?  He's such a happy little guy, and Jack and I can see what else we can look forward to with Sutton.  She's already the cutest thing, so we can't really imagine it getting any better!  We're looking forward to Christmas with our little crawler.  She's also started babbling a lot and pulling up on things (this is still really shaky and not always successful!).

We've got our Christmas stuff up, and we're ready to celebrate!  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Oh, we've added new pics to the dropshots website.  Check them out!

Happy Halloween!

Wow!  I can't believe it's already Fall!  And, Sutton turned 5 months old yesterday.  She's gotten so big, and she's such a fun baby--we've truly been blessed!

On Sunday, October 26th, Grandma, Grandpa, Jenn, Mike, Jack, Sutton, and I went to the Pumpkin Express pumpkin patch.  It was such a gorgeous day, and we got a lot of great photos.  We had to ride a miniature train to get into the pumpkin patch, and it was lots of fun.  I think the adults had more fun than Sutton--at least this year.  We're hoping they have a Christmas event because we had such a good time.  

On Friday, Jack and I went to a Halloween party at his boss's house, and Sutton stayed the night at my parents' house.  But, before we left for the party, we got a couple of pics of the whole fam dressed up in their Halloween gear.  Sutton was a little black kitty, Jack was a cowboy caught in his undies, and of course, I had to be Jack's counterpart, a saloon girl!  Take a look at pics on dropshots.

Since it was such a pretty day on Sunday, Jack and I decided to go to the zoo.  So, we packed up Sutton and the sunblock and headed to Fort Worth.  We got some good views of the gorillas and caught the lion cubs playing and one of them chewing on mom's tail--very cute!  

Oh, and we found out that we're going to have another little nephew sometime in February...we're very excited to meet the newest member of the Schreiber clan!  We also get to see Finn this weekend--check out how cute he is!

Those Silly Doggies!

Sutton's been noticing more and more things, reaching for and grabbing them.  On Friday, I took her to JCPenney and took her out of her stroller, and she tried to reach for hangers as I was walking around--it was pretty darn cute.  She's also gotten quite into the doggies, especially Koda.  On Sunday, we had her in her exersaucer, and every time the doggies would walk by she'd laughed and giggle.  She got hysterical a couple of times Koda walked by, so worked up that she'd get a little choked up--it was hilarious for Jack and I to witness.  Take a look at the video on dropshots!

Sutton's First Baby Food

Sutton ate her first bites of baby food on Saturday.  We tried some greenbeans, and I'm pretty sure she liked them.  Last night we fed her some more, and she even started opening her mouth and leaning towards the spoon...she's such a good girl!

She had her 4-month check-up on Wednesday, and here's the rundown:

16 lbs. 12 oz.--over the 95th percentile

25 in. long--90th percentile

And, Dr. Gomez said her motor skills were 

really good, and he imagined that 

we'd be chasing her around before long.  She's wearing some 6-9 month clothes, but she can also fit into some 3 month stuff still.  She's a pretty big girl!

Active Little Girl

Sutton rolled over from her back to her tummy last Monday, Sept. 29th, and she's been doing it ever since. For a while, she would get almost over, with her right arm stuck beneath her body, and then get start crying because she couldn't do anything. Now, though, she's rolling right over. Last night she rolled over to sleep, but Jack snuck into her room to put her back on her back.

She's laughing and giggling like a crazy lady, and she's reaching for lots of stuff with some success. She can hold onto some toys, and she really likes going to sleep holding my fingers!

Grandma and Grandpa got her a toy that scoots and shakes across the floor, and she does this weird blinking and opening and closing of her mouth when its turned on...it's kind of like she has a seizure--so disturbing!

Take a look at our dropshots page because it has been updated a lot, and Jack has loaded some pics from a long time ago.

Sutton's Laughing and Playing in an Exersaucer

So, we got back from KC a long time ago, but I haven't had the chance to update everyone. We had a great time spending time with Grandma and Grandpa's extended family. I think Sutton was a big hit with the fam!

I sent out an email to a lot of people with a link to dropshots to check out Sutton laughing--Jack was bouncing her on the ottoman, and apparently, she loved it. She actually laughed instead of just kind of giggling. She's also screeching a HUGE amount, and she frequently gets really upset when you take the bottle away from her to burp her. Even when she's crying, she's adorable!

Yesterday, Jack, Sutton, and I went to visit David and Quinn in Allen. David and Quinn are expecting their first baby, a boy named Rylan, in November, so I think they were really excited and interested in Sutton. She had lots of fun, and she got to play with Rylan's exersaucer. She's holding her head up so well, and Jack and I decided, after seeing her in Rylan's exersaucer, that she needed her own. So, on the way home, we stopped to get her one. She's played in it a couple of times, and she's a big fan! We'll put video on dropshots, so check it out.

Kansas City, Here We Come!

On Thursday, Grandma, Grandpa, Sutton, and I set out for Kansas City to visit family. The Duell family reunion is this weekend, and Sutton was introduced to my dad's side of the family--I think she is a big hit! We also met the newest addition to my Uncle Clarence and Aunt Sue's family--Irie. She's a cutie, and I think she and Sutton will certainly enjoy hanging out at family reunions when they are older.

The coming week, we will spend visiting my mom's family, and this will be the first time that most of them will meet Sutton...I'm excited to show her off! She's such a good girl!

I'll write more about our trip when I get home and settle back in, but in the mean time, check out our dropshots website for updated photos and video.

I've Fallen Behind Already

So, it's been quite some time since I last updated the page.  We've been soooo busy.  Sutton and I have been running around so much lately, spending lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa.  Last Saturday, we helped host a couple's shower for our close friends, Dillon and Kimba.  They are getting married on Sept. 6th, and we're so excited for the wedding!  Our built-in babysitters, my parents and Jenn and Mike, were also attending the shower, so Sutton spent her first evening at home with non-family members.  My good friend Lora and her husband Bobby watched Sutton, and they said she was such a good girl...I knew she would be.  She's such a good, sweet-natured baby!

She's started standing with the help of two strong adult arms, and she LOVES it!  She wants to do it all the time, and I can assure you, it's much harder than just cradling her in my arms!  If she wants to be standing, and you try to just hold her, she'll make a fuss--it's so cute!  Last Thursday, my parents were at the house, and my mom was holding her over the table so she could stand, and she just stomped and stomped on the table.  Again, it was so cute!

She's become so  alert and verbal.  I definitely think she's a morning person because she just gurgles and smiles so much in the morning.  It's so fun!  

On Friday, mom, dad, and I went shopping with Sutton, and we bought her all kinds of cute clothes.  I know Jack thinks we don't need it, but some of them are just too cute to pass up!  

Also, on Friday, Nonna and Pops came to visit because Sutton and I will be out-of-town from this Thursday through the following Friday.  They wanted to get in a visit because if they hadn't, it would have been almost a month since they last saw her...and that's just way too long!

So, Sutton will be going on her first real road trip--we're driving to Kansas City with my dad and Jenn and Mike for a family reunion on my dad's side.  I hope it's not too stressful for her.  We're also going to spend a couple of days there to visit my mom's family.  It should be fun.

We have tons of stuff coming up--3 weddings and, of course, TCU football season--so we're all going to be really busy.  Also, Sutton is having photographs done on August 18th, so when those are available, and if I'm able, I'll post those on dropshots.

Today, we're going to celebrate Jenn's birthday at Carrabba's--yummy!  And, of course, Sutton's going to be wearing on of her adorable new outfits from our shopping day on Friday!!!

She's Soooo Cute!

Sutton has really started squealing and "talking" to us.  Yesterday, she was in such a great mood, laughing, smiling, and cooing...it's so cool!  

Almost Sitting Up!

Last night Jack sat Sutton in her Bumbo seat, and she sat up pretty well for a while, but eventually she started to slouch and hunch over.  I guess that head still weighs too much!  Check out our dropshots page for the video.  I've posted a pic of her in it.  Also, we brought out the tummy time mat that Grandma and Grandpa got her.  I think she likes!  She's started making a lot more noises, and yesterday she giggled and smiled at us a lot!  She's sooooo fun!

On a completely different note, too bad about Christian Bale, and just after I posted how much I like him.  He's still cute, but "lashing out" at his female relatives is pretty disgusting!  I know, they're just allegations, but still...

Swimming with Sutton

This weekend Nonna and Pops came to stay with us, and we visited with Jack's Cousin Marshall's wife, Amy.  Amy, Marshall, Jack and I used to spend lots of Friday and Saturday nights playing games and listening to music.  Marshall, Amy and their kids all moved to NC, I believe, in late 2005 or early 2006.  We miss them, so it was really nice to visit with Amy.

On Saturday afternoon Jack and Jon played golf, and I headed to Sammy Branch's wedding with my friend Paige.  It was a really nice wedding, and the cake was AMAZING!  While I was at the wedding, Nonna watched Sutton, and she rolled over from her tummy to her back all by herself.  I knew she was a strong girl!

On Sunday, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's (my parents).  Jack and I left Sutton with them and went to the movies to see "The Dark Knight".  Jack and I liked it, but we agreed that we liked "Batman Begins" better.  It was kind of sad to see Heath Ledger, and I thought it even sadder that his last role was with him wearing so much make-up that you can barely recognize him.  On a happier note, Christian Bale is totally yummy!  Now, I was fan way before the mainstream moviegoers had even heard of him, so I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon.  Has anyone seen "Swing Kids"?  It was one of his early movies, and even though Thomas, his character, got corrupted by the Nazis, I didn't blame Christian!:)  Did you know that Robert Sean Leonard, Peter in "Swing Kids", is now Wilson on House?  Love him too!

Back to Sunday...after the movie, Jack and I took Sutton for her first swim.  She is so cute!  She has this little red and white striped bathing suit with a froggie and daisy on it.  SOOOOO adorable!  She was a trooper...I think she likes the water, or at least she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs to get out.  We took a ton of pics, so check them out on the dropshots website.

Oh, and I started personal training yesterday--can't wait to feel fit again...too bad it won't happen before Kimba and Dillon's wedding on September 6th!  Jack has been doing some cardio at the gym, and I've started thinking that he's sick--he NEVER does cardio, he must be desperate.  I'm trying to get him to run the White Rock Half Marathon with me in December, but he's says he can't run long distances.  I told him that he could if he ran as slow as I do!!!  I think people walk faster than I run, but it got me through the Heels and Hills half in 2007.  We'll see how far we can take this fitness kick that we're on.  

We're Wild and Crazy!

On Wednesday night, I met up with some of my high school friends at Blue Goose in Dallas.  Can I just say that I have the most wonderful group of friends?  I always have so much fun with them, and I really wish that I lived a little closer so getting together was easier for me.  There has been lots of excitement in this group the past year: Kelley had a baby boy, Kace, in March, I had Sutton on June 2nd, Melanie had Carter a week later, and Randa and Julie are expecting babies, Cooper and Addyson, respectively, in the next two months!  It has been awesome experiencing this with them!  

Last night we left Sutton with my parents for a sleepover.  No worries because, of course, my parents adore her.  I'm wondering when they'll start thinking we dump her on them.  Right now, she's such a novelty (and amazingly cute and wonderful), that they definitely don't mind.  For instance, next weekend we have Dillon and Kimba's shower and everyone in my family is invited.  This means that we'll have to find someone else to watch her for the evening.  When I mentioned this to my mom, she said that she could miss the shower and watch Sutton.  I told her that was ridiculous.  I mean she acted like she never gets to see her.  But, I guess that's how grandparents are...they just can't get enough of her!  And, thank goodness for that.  If they didn't want to be around her, I'd think they sucked!

Anyway, back to last night.  This was really the first time that we've gone out since Sutton was born, so it was a lot of fun.  I met Jack and some of his coworkers at Uncle Julio's for happy hour and dinner, and I had a great time.  However, after dinner, Jack mentions going to The Glass Cactus at the Gaylord, and I'm thinking I just want to go home and watch TV (I'm a really exciting person if you didn't already know).  Come on, Burn Notice came on, and I had Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood recorded too...who would choose going out over that excitement, huh?  Well, we ended up going to the sports bar at the Gaylord with Brett, Rebecca, Sean, and Ariana, and guess what?  I HAD A BLAST!  So, this is a lesson in doing stuff even when it may sound not-so-fun because if you're like me, you'll end up enjoying yourself!

Tonight, Pops and Nonna (aka Jon and Cathy, Jack's parents) are coming into town.  We have a family member from NC visiting Dallas and we're going to have lunch with her on Saturday, but I think Pops and Nonna may have another motive for coming in this weekend: Sutton withdrawal!