lift off !

christmas marked quite a few developmental milestones for miss junie toons.

first tooth cut - check.
first unassisted pull up in crib - check.
first full fledged crawling episode - check.


after lots of hard times...



when i tell people that "june's got a lot going on right now" i'm not kidding.
we're expecting a recitation of the gettysburg address any day now. in the meantime paul figures she should learn what it's like growing up a 'country kid'. they had just tossed the empty tall boy out the window before i snapped this photo.



she's got so much energy to work out - it's exciting to see her really going for it. so difficult to remember her as a little pipsqueak a few months ago.

we hosted xmas for my family and paul's - was all that planning and prepping really easier than traveling the usual 6 hours to the valley for holiday festivities ?? i think so. i'm all grown up now, aren't i? we pulled it off and enjoyed yummy food and pleasant company.



it seems like we are socially booked well into the new year. lots of visitors that we're happy to connect with. paul's long time friend, andy, and his new bride teresa visited before xmas from new zealand. we had a celebratory dinner at the salt lick. paul gets to give andy his handmade wedding present - a sweet ass surfboard with all the appropriate paul flourishes.

my own long time friend, mrs.narvarte, is nearby in san antonio with mr.narvarte's family. we're planning a huge-mongous new years blow out. not really. eva and june might get towed in paul's new bike trailer while we 'first night' it downtown. pictures to follow.

paul's brother zachary has moved to the states from new zealand in search of life?liberty?pursuit of happiness? regardless we're excited to have him nearby. paul thinks this means he'll get to surf more now. ha.

and of course there's giana (diana to those not fluent in portugese). she's in texas - last seen driving to marfa in search of mystery lights. we roasted smores around the old chiminea on xmas eve with her sisters, carmen and kathleen, zachary (who'd never seen a graham cracker - new zealand really is picky about bikkies), and my brother kk. giggles were had by all.


in case you weren't convinced

yoga junie

so this photographer came to our baby yoga class right before halloween. she was shooting for a local magazine. the article on the class has yet to appear, but susan was sweet + sleuthy enough to find these photos on a flikr site. june and i haven't been to yoga in ages - she likes to sleep during that time nowadays. and i hear fletcher has moved on to the crawlers and walkers class. these pictures make me happy + remind me of some lovely mornings/afternoons hanging with susan/fletcher and amanda/hollis.


flexy fletch and mama susan

post yoga rehash with 'da boyz'

on a roll

june recently inherited a real crib!! not that her other crib wasn't real. it was just small - perfect for when she was just as small. she's been sleeping with us in the bed for the last few months. needless to say we love her but she needs her own bed. see photos below of nap time before crib and nap time after. crib is especially appreciated as she has crawled off the bed once post-nap and last week she curled up and rolled off the changing table. big bed or floor is now changing table. even though this girl can take a beating we don't want her to. xo to all!

oh the holidays

'found art' between s.p.i and mansfield day after thanksgiving.


paul and i kinda freak out around holiday time. we have much to celebrate within november and december + it all gets to be too much at some point. we managed to secure christmas at our house this year, something i rallied for last year while pregnant with you-know-who. this has become a blessing and a curse. i'm in another nesting mode where i want the house to be nice, inviting and christmas-y for our family. luckily i've got a break from work to make this happen. somehow my months off from work have actually become way more work than they should. somehow i don't let myself sit still for any period of time. i'm starting to look forward to january - this being the first day of december.

here are some photos taken in the last month or so - of course most feature the aforementioned you-know-who. we seriously can't get enough of her (most of the time). she's pretty awesome and we feel oh, so very lucky.

june's grammy likes to get her nekid. does this kid favor paul or what? after i saw these photos i started to call june "paulina".


june's nana likes to dress her up in all sorts of clothes. i actually never thought i'd subject my daughter to stockings (especially as an infant), however now i am quite enamored with junie's encased sausage legs.


june accompanied gammy on the piano at thanksgiving. haunting. they'll be taking it on the road once junie can wipe herself.


on the beach after thanksgiving. cold, rainy and windy. june was mucho bundled and fell asleep like this on our beach walk. little kolache that she is.


junie's first santy photo - taken at local shop with local celebrity as santa. she didn't cry, but she did try to snag the beard for our costume box.

a little june video footage

first 'meal' - RICE CEREAL !



paul's new game...

junes we love

sometimes we think june is certifiable...then we have to consider her source. no matter how jacked up i feel june always pulls me out of my funk. even when she's the one that instigated it.

she's rolling. talking. a lot. pulling hair - mine and kitties'. eating rice cereal. voraciously. and waking up between me and paul all night long. her sleep habits have disintegrated over the last 2 months and i haven't had the energy to remedy the issue. soon. very very soon.

sadness

my dad passed away on monday, october 29th. he was 62 years old and had cancer throughout his body. he was diagnosed in december 2006. after two rounds of chemo and some radiation therapy for a brain tumor his white blood cell count wouldn't rise to allow for more chemo. the chemo kept him stable. after that had to end the cancer did it's worst. thankfully the decline happened relatively quickly. thankfully he was able to hang on and meet his precious little granddaughter. i wish he was still here. it's hard to believe i'll never speak to him again. his memorial service is tuesday, nov 6th. i love you dad!

kicky long stockings

june is 4 months this week. measures 25" (50th percentile) and weighs 16 lbs 13 oz (97th percentile). we've got a situation on our hands.

here's her second trip to the pool to keep you occupied. xo

Summer Babe

we went on a mission to the valley last week. june + i flew down and paul joined a few days later. other than losing her 'in flight' outfit i'd painstakingly chosen for her 1st above ground experience everything went really well. paul was very disapproving that i made her fly in her 'underwear'. i did happen to have socks for her, however.





we spent quality time with my dad, visited my grandparents, mamaw and gramps, took june to lunch with my gammy, saw a chachalaca and javelina (big scary dog) at bentsen state park, got off our super cushy sleep schedule to terrorize kk + mom, and dipped toes in the gulf of mexico at south padre. and somewhere in all that i had a peanut buster parfait. good stuff all around.

there's a bug under my skin

...and i love it! she has officially consumed us both. we have resisted her charms from time to time, but she's worn us down. there's no denying the power of the baby. this one in particular is especially potent. we often find ourselves intoxicated by her scent even if it's regurgitated sour milk stuck in the folds of her neck. we can't wait for her next BIG POO - it's become the equivalent to going out and watching our favorite band at stubb's. and when she screams her head off we don't know whether to comfort her or continue commenting on how she's even adorable when in the throes of upset. we are disgustingly in LOVE with our daughter.


my favorite thing to do is to dance for miss june. she seems pretty entertained by it too. wordy rappinghood is the tune of the moment.


paul still likes taking her for walks. she refuses to be carried facing in - she's all about looking around and surveying the land.



basically the sillier you are the happier she is. paul and i don't have it too hard keeping her satiated.

la leche league can suck my tetas

*a la leche league leader suggested that i wasn't feeding my baby enough after i shared some of my concerns with her. after weeks of forced feeds we showed her. check out that big breast fed monster!

la lady is now 9 weeks old and weighs in at 13lbs 4oz - ! i get tired of holding her. i don't want to be tired of holding her. she's too cute to put down. unless she's spit up all down your front and back. then you have to put her down. for a second. or when she poos out the back of her diapers and she needs a full bath in the middle of the day.




things are happening so quickly with her development. it's hard to imagine where she'll be in a month. she's smiling and laughing. she's grabbing - hard. she's looking at and enjoying books and paintings. she is beginning to see other babies in the world. she seems to be able to take a joke. that last one will be most important if she continues to keep me and paul as parents.

back to the springs

junie can't stay away from the natural beauty and mystique of barton springs. luckily she invites us along. here's my baby having a grand time.