Five Months

Wow, time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was chillin' in the womb.

The big deal these days is teeth. I tell you what, those things hurt. They haven't really broken yet, but if you look close on the lower left side of my jaw you can see a little white bump there like a tooth's coming out. (Dad hasn't managed a picture of it yet, and come to think of it he isn't particularly thrilled with the new camera anyway.) I've been more or less inconsolable for the better part of four days. When Mom's home it's OK, because she's good at making me feel better (you all know breasts solve everything). Dad has a little bit harder of a time ... carrying me around works, but he's not Arnold Schwartzenburger or whoever. Today we took a long walk in the stroller, and he's taken to storing some of my pacifiers in the freezer, which is OK.

This weekend Nona came to visit, and she brought my Uncle Clayton along too. That part was a big surprise for Mom, but Dad had let it slip to me a few days before, so I was ready and excited to see him. Her reaction when he sneaked up behind her in the airport was priceless, Nona said. We had a fun three days together, playing and singing and going to a museum in Winter Park (even though I got a little fussy in there and Mom had to take me outside) and going out for dinner. I think Uncle Clayton is a little scared of me right now, just because I'm so little and seem so fragile (ha ha -- Mom and Dad know better), but before long I'll be running and jumping with the best of 'em, and he'll have to work to keep up.

Mom just started the swing shift this week, which means Dad's in charge of getting me all the way to bed. It's a good thing for both of us that they started the tubby and song and snack routine a few months ago, because otherwise I don't think I'd be falling asleep with any ease, let alone the mere minor protest I've put up the last two nights. Falling asleep without my mom is hard, guys. I love her so much and she's always so warm and soft and snuggly, and I've gotten used to her rocking me and singing to me until I doze off. Dad's a great dad, but he doesn't have ... well, you know, the right parts.

Tomorrow my great-grandma and great-grandpa Moya are coming, and they're bringing my great-aunt Shari. I'm really looking forward to meeting them, because Mom and Dad say they're nice people, and it sounds like they're excited for another Moya baby. That's me! I should get lots of love this week, so don't worry if you don't hear from me because I'm busy being doted upon.

The Happiest Update on Earth

Update sort of got away from me this week. Sorry, everyone.

Last weekend we went to a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina. It was my first time out of Florida, but I couldn't really tell the difference. It was still nice and warm, after all. I got to see my boyfriend Owen (Dad's already protective, so I can't call him my boyfriend yet) at the ceremony, but close to the end I got a little uncomfortable standing still in the unusual atmosphere. Dad whisked me right out of the chapel before I started crying too hard, though, and Mom said I wasn't a disruption at all because nobody even noticed. Then there was the reception, where all of Mom's friends loved on me and picked me up. The music got too loud for me after about 45 minutes, though, so Dad and I found a comfortable chair in the entry hall and I dozed off while Mom and her friends had fun.

The road trip wasn't very much fun. It was a six-hour car ride, and I wasn't really all that interested in sitting in the back by myself for six straight hours. I dozed for the first little while, but then I was mad for about three hours after Mom and Dad stopped for dinner. After all, that's prime Mom time, and I wasn't getting it. It did help Dad get out of a $500 traffic ticket, though. I finally fell asleep with about two hours left in the drive and didn't wake up until morning. On the way back, Mom and Dad planned their stop around my awake time so I'd nap in the car, but then we were derailed by an almost-flat tire. By the time it got fixed, I was more hungry than tired and we had to stop a couple more times before we got home.

The week was pretty uneventful -- mostly I played with my toys and worked on rolling over (which I finally did once this afternoon) and touching my toes (hopefully, I'll get them in my mouth soon). Dad figured out how to get me facing forward in the stroller for our afternoon walks, which is pretty nice because I have more room to spread out when I fall asleep and can lay all the way back too. This month has been good, too, because some days Mom gets off early and I can nap with her instead of in my stroller.

But at the end of the week, we did something Mom's been wanting to do for months -- go to the Magic Kingdom. It's the main part of Disney World, and Mom's been dying to introduce me to it. (Dad says mostly she wanted to go herself, because it had been since before I was born.) Since she got home early on Friday and it wasn't too terribly hot, we decided to go for a few hours and see some baby-friendly things. I got to ride the train around the park and It's a Small World, and then we went to the Enchanted Tiki Room. The train was OK, but It's a Small World was fun, and I totally loved the Tiki Room -- all those colored lights and singing birds had me squeaking with excitement. Next time Mom wants to do the Jungle Cruise and Dad plans to take me on the riverboat ride.

That's all for this update. Next week: Nona! I'm excited.

Happy Fun

Short update this week, everyone. Not quite as much happened as in some past weeks.

Mom had the whole Labor Day weekend off, and it was awesome. We did a lot of cleaning around the house, to be sure, but we also had fun. The highlight (for me, anyway) was going to Babies R Us on Sunday. My great-auntie Lauren had sent me a gift certificate, and we used it on an exer-saucer. It's so cool! It makes animal sounds and plays music and has a lot of bright colors and moving parts, and even a dragon puppet that talks to me. (Well, I know it's Dad talking, but I humor him.) I've been playing in it a lot this week, and it might even replace my vibrating papasan chair. That one's fun, but it's for really little babies who can't sit up yet, and I'm almost there. (If I try too hard to sit up in that chair, I might accidentally flip it over, and nobody wants that.)

Sleeping has become a big deal here in the house too. At the end of last week, my monitor died after maybe three nights of use. Mom and Dad called it a cheap piece of crap (which I wasn't supposed to repeat, they said) and bought me a new digital one. (It took a few days, though, which meant I shared a bed with the 'rents again in the interim, which is quickly becoming more difficult for all of us.) It works great. Last night Dad was even able to take the receiver outside without it getting staticky. Not that it would have mattered, because last night I slept for six hours straight and only got up because Mom wanted to feed me before she left for work. She said she hopes that sticks, whatever that means.

Tomorrow we're going to a wedding! It should be fun -- it's for one of Mom's co-workers who loves me (but which one doesn't?). I'm looking forward to dancing with lots of friends.