Carlysle and Gavin

This past Saturday we were with our friends, Kyle and Sara. We had a wonderful time hanging out in the pool and grilling out. It was neat to watch their little boy, Gavin and Carlysle interact. They've been around each other since they were newborns but are just starting to be able to "play" together. Ok so really they just poke each other in the eyes, take each other pacifiers and occasionally pat each other on the bottom. :) Just kidding. Well not really. That actually happened. Carlysle was crawling by Gavin and he just reached over and gave her a nice pat on the tush. Sara and I thought it was hilarious. I'm sure his Daddy taught him that. Which by the way, Kyle, is cute now but I don't want to see any of that when they're fifteen. Here are some really cute pictures that Joey took of them looking out of the window.

First Day at Church

Ok I'm embarrassed to say that Joey and I have not been back to our church since Carlysle was born. It started with a fear of putting her in nursery as a newborn so we were waiting until she got a little older. Then it seeemed Joey was working every weekend. Then really we were just lazy. So we got up one Sunday morning, managed to get ourselves and the baby dressed and out the door. She did great in the nursery. Joey and I felt so good after we left and wondered why we hadn't been back sooner. Here are some pictures I took of Carlysle in her "Sunday dress".

Impatience

So Carlysle has begun to show some very strong will and frankly......I'm frightened. Here is an example of a typical night at our house:

Joey had been doing yard work (ok that's not typical but he's on vacation) and was in the shower washing off the dirt so that he could take a bath with Carlysle (with swim trunks). As we were waiting for Joey, Carlysle spotted her baby tub on the floor of the bathroom with all of her delectable bath toys inside. She literally did a nose dive towards the tub, doing all sorts of acrobats to try and jump out of my arms. Also during this time she was pitching a "fit", which consists of her face turning really red while she grunts and then cries. As a new parent, I've learned that you cannot reason with a 9-month old. And yes, I did learn this only after I tried....with no response. So I said, "Fine, have at it", and I sat her in the tub....on the bathroom floor.....with her diaper on.....with no water. Joey peeked out of the shower and couldn't stop laughing. He said, "we've got to get a picture of that". She actually had a ball even without water.

Modeling....again

Joey and I were shopping at Babies r Us and couldn't resist buying a few new things for Carlysle for the summertime. Every baby needs a visor, right? Maybe she'll follow in her Mommy's footsteps and attempt to play tennis. This visor should keep the sun out of her eyes because I swear that's what happens to me every week when I swing and miss the ball. :) We also got her some croc-a-likes. Yeah, they're not real crocs (just babies r us brand) but we figured she is too young to know the difference. She has plenty of time to learn about brand names!

So here she is showing off her new summertime gear......

And.....we're getting tired of the visor.......

And.....it's off.......

Joey's Graduation Banquet

Ok, so it's my time to brag....and actually not on Carlysle but on her Daddy. I know technically this site is for Carlysle and Joey will kill me for doing this but that will not stop me. I am too proud of him to let this slip by unmentioned. This past friday night was Joey's Residency Graduation Banquet where outgoing residents are honored and awarded for their achievements. We had already been notified that Joey was one of three residents to be nominated for the Rick Davis Award. This award was presented as "the most prestigious" award given that night and given to the resident who exuded "academic and clinical excellence". Well, Joey won the award!!! The department chair, Dr. Taylor, actually pulled me aside before the banquet to tell me Joey would be receiving the "big award" so that I could have my camera ready. I was so glad that he gave me a heads up but dinner was miserable because I was sworn to secrecy. I could hardly look at Joey for fear of giving it away. But I made it through the meal and only told my Mom (sorry Dr. T) and I was ready with the camera when the time came.

Joey, I am so proud of you. I have watched you work long hours without sleep only to come home and read articles to try and learn more. I have watched you come home with heartache over patients that have truly touched you. I have watched you work extra hours on your only weekends off to earn money for our family so that I can stay home. I have watched (or heard about) you standing up to "higher-ranking" doctors because you knew someone wasn't getting the best care. I have watched you come home completely exhausted and still take the baby "to give me a break". Most importantly I have watched you become a devoted, attentive and caring father and physician. Carlysle and I are the luckiest girls in the world.

Congratulations on your well-deserved award! We love you!

Grandmother Hart's Visit

My Grandmother (my Mom's Mom) came for a visit and stayed with Mom and Don for a week in Cypress. Unfortunately, I haven't seen her since my wedding and have missed her terribly. I was so excited that she and my Mom drove to Columbia for a day. This was the first time she was able to see Carlysle. Carlysle was just waking up from a nap so I let Grandmother Hart walk in first to get her up. Carlysle took one look up from her crib, decided she did not recognize this person and proceeded to turn and hide her face...refusing to look back up. She just layed there frozen in her crib. I'm pretty sure she was thinking "Ok, if I can't see her, she can't see me". Thankfully, Grandmother Hart did not have her feelings hurt because it was quite funny. So we had a good laugh over it and Carlysle did eventually warm up and became quite fond of Grandmother Hart.

Thank you Grandmother Hart for coming to visit. We enjoyed spending time with you and hope to see you again soon!

Happy Memorial Day!

For Memorial Day, I took Carlysle to our friends' (Kyle and Sara) house. They have a beautiful new house and an awesome pool. So Carlysle got to see how much fun a "real" pool can be. She loved it! She was kicking her little feet like crazy and splashing in the water. There were lots of other kids there and she a good time watching them play. Daddy joined us later after he got off work and we grilled out for dinner. We had such a great time. Thanks to Kyle and Sara for having us over.

New Pool

I decided to buy a baby pool for Carlysle and I to play in during the hot summer months. Joey warned me that the one I wanted looked huge but I ignored him and bought it anyway. Well, it is HUGE! So big that Carlysle can't even sit in it, she has to be in a float! But we had a good time.