Christmas Dresses and Flying home

On our last day in Lancaster, we did a photo shoot with the girls in their Christmas dresses that mom made. Click here to see those photos. Be warned...there are ALOT! Enjoy!

The plane trip home was another struggle but we made it home safe and sound. And we had wonderful visitors awaiting us in the airport! Jon and Terry were already in town and picked us up from the airport. Daniel and Caroline came later that evening. It was wonderful having more family to come home to!

5 things for 5 months

Okay so I missed her 5 month picture with the sign and the dress, etc. But I think all the pictures lately will hopefully make up for it. But in the mean time, here are 5 things for 5 months about Millie, from Millie.

Hey everyone, I am back to tell you what I have been up to! I am growing ALOT and getting big and strong. But here is 5 interesting things that have happened over the last month.

1. Everything goes in my mouth, including my feet! My mommy says she can't feel any teeth yet but I sure like to chew on anything! Which includes paper, burp clothes, my clothes, shoes, toys, books, etc, etc, etc.

2. I like to talk and make sounds. My mommy and daddy act like they don't know what I am saying but I think they really do!

3. I still smile alot! It seems to make my Daddy very happy when we stop by E11 to say hello. I especially like to smile when I am playing with all my new toys. Thanks everyone!



4. I still do NOT like to lay on my belly. I like to stand but mom and dad are trying to strengthen my muscles or something? So they keep laying me on my belly. I scream until they pick me up. Grandma T got me this jumper thing and I could jump all day long!

5. I am sitting up almost without assistance which is awesome! I even like to do sit-ups like Mommy at the gym. I am sure I will have this sitting up thing down by next month.

PS: Keep this on the DL, but I heard rumors about me possibly getting real food soon? Maybe something called "rice cereal"? So I am going to be on my best behavior to make sure I get some of that good stuff. Which includes me sleeping all night long. I think with someone named Ferber? I don't know who he is but mommy and daddy are alllllll about him.

Adios until next month Friends!

2 photo shoots

Close up Millie photo shoot by my mom, click here. All pictures taken in my mom's bedroom on her bed. Great lighting, right?!?!












Naked Millie photo shoot by Kenzi, click here...

Saturday in Lancaster

On Saturday we ran around and did lots of errands with Mom. I bought a bunch of stuff I don't need. We had lunch with Mom, Dad and my good friend Molly. Molly and I have been going to school together since elementary school! She lives in Arizona so it was great that she got to come to Lancaster and meet Millie.

That night we had pizza with the Schenk family and Katie's kids loved posing for the camera. Kelly & Alex came up from Cincinnati. To see pictures of the day, click here.







On Sunday we all took a road trip to Caldwell to see family. Lets see, we had Kari's mini-van. We had Kari and Dad up front. Millie and Courtney in the middle. Mom, Chloe and I in the back seat. It was quite tight but it was lots of fun! We drove down and saw Grandma Beckett. We got to give her her Christmas presents and she got some quality time with Millie. Millie was just fascinated with her.

After the stop to see Grandma Beckett, we went on to see Grandma Viva. Dan and Dona McConnell came to visit too. I am sure you all know who they are at this point. Fabulous friends and more like family to Mat and I. And now Millie. They bought Millie a fabulous Ralph Lauren striped dress to wear when she wants to show her preppy side. To see pictures from our stop with Grandma Beckett and the McConnells, click here.

On Monday Millie and I hung out at Kari's with all of her kids. It's so fun to see Kari in her element. She really loves those kids and the do her as well. I snapped some fun pictures of the kids at the end of the day. Enjoy, click here.

Christmas Night

After all the gift giving, Grandma Norris came over to see what we got. She has done this every year since I can remember. We had dinner of course, took some pictures. My uncle Rex was obsessed with Terry's balancing dragonfly's! Enjoy the pictures!

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day I had to work in the morning and then we came home to a intimate Christmas/Hanukkah celebration. We open lots of fun gifts from friends and family. Millie seemed to really enjoy eating the wrapping paper. Since Mat wasn't coming home, Mom/Dad sent Mat all of his Christmas gifts. We were grateful to have so many things to open today. To see pictures of the morning, click here.

After presents, Millie and I packed up for our first flight! I was a little worried and I really wished Mat was coming with me. I check in and got to security. The lady looks at me like "you are doing this by yourself?" She told me next time to have Mat get a "gate pass" and come in to assit me through security and to the gate. I didn't even know you could do that!



Millie was ok on the flight. She enjoyed watching all the passengers board the plane. Everyone was waving and smiling at her. It was alot of fun. After the boarding door closed, she got fussy and never really stopped. I know that on the plane she sounded to me as if she was the loudest one on there, but she probably wasn't. I tired my best to keep her occupied but it was tough. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Of course she fell alseep on the landing! I was happy to exit the plane for sure.

Mom and Dad picked me up and we headed to my Grandma Norris' for our big surprise. She was certainly surpirse and it was so fun to see everyone and have them meet Millie. To see pictures of Christmas Day, click here.



After all the celebrating was over, we did a little photo shoot with Mom, Dad, Millie and the beautiful Christmas tree. To see those pictures, click here.

Millie likes the CNN Santa

no matter how creepy the Santa is! Hopefully you can see the pictures here! Her friend Lillian is in the red shirt. They are good buddies :-)

Daddy & Millie Day

"Daddy & Millie Day" also known as Christmas Eve. I had to work and Engine 11 was closed so Mat watched Millie and they had a great day. Not sure the details but at one point I called home and they were both napping. Now that sounds like a great day! After I got off work, we headed over to Jose and Pavan's for dinner. They had lots of family in for the holiday and it was great being there to see them with Jeevan. No pictures today...sorry!

Friends watch Millie

Our daycare is moving as most of you know so they took off this week and next. We had to rely on some great friends to watch little Millie. On Monday, my friend Margie watched Millie. She has a 2 little ones at home. Jonathan and Lilly had a great time with Millie as seen here. To see more pictures, click here.



On Tuesday Millie hung with Jackie and her son Vince. They seem to also have a great time. Vince is her little buddy and showed her all kinds of fun stuff. Vince probably crawled circles around Millie. He is a quick one!

It's great to have such wonderful friends! And friends that love Millie so!

Sabrina and photo shoot

This weekend I got alot of stuff done. Oil change on the Pilot. Bought some fabric for Jeevan's photo shoot. And I got to meet up with my first cousin Sabrina who was in town. Her boyfriend, DJ, has family here in Atlanta. It was great to see her who got to meet Millie. And meet DJ, her dashing boyfriend that I have heard so much about! Sabrina, DJ and I had brunch at E11 and did the photo shoot that afternoon.

I think you all saw the amazing pictures that turned out from that. I have to say I am very proud. I can't wait to have the opportunity to take more! He was the perfect model. They get hard to take the more they move but I can't wait to get Millie and Jeevan together for a couple. Mat also got some time off to come out and meet Jeevan which until now, he hadn't had time do to. So after dinner we headed home.

That night we celebrated Hanukkah with some of the gifts that were sent to us. Thank you to all for the fun gifts! We hope to keep the tradition of celebrating both holidays!

To see more pictures from the weekend, click here.
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To see pictures from the Jeevan photo shoot, click here.

Grandma Terry's birthday

So Friday was the last day at Millie's current daycare. We have signed up with another facility that is close to Mat's work. We are hoping this will be a good transition for her although it's been a tough one for me. I can't help thinking, what if we made a bad choice. But we can always move her to another facility if need be. It was sad to say goodbye to Priya who we have really enjoyed getting to know these past months. I hope we will be in contact as she moves on to bigger and better things!

Today was Grandma Terry's birthday and we had a special message just for her! Millie's oufit says it all! It sounded like she had a wonderful birthday!

BTW: We are loving the warm weather. We haven't worn a coat all week!

Peas out everyone!

Don't be fooled...she fell over right after I took this picture. You should see all the out-takes cause they are hilarious. I would just hold her there, take my hand away and then she would fall. We both thought it was very funny. I loved her outfit today and had to share. Millie's teacher asked me the other day if she had ever worn an outfit twice? The answer would be no. My sister loved to shop!! And she has lots of generous family members! I am happy to say that I have only bought her a couple pairs of pants!

To swaddle or not to swaddle...that is the question

So we started to let Millie sleep unswaddled. She has been swaddled since day one so this is going to be a big change for her. The first night went very well. The past two nights, not so much. But I am going to keep at it. I think she will get the idea later. Once she is asleep, it's been going okay. But it's the getting her to sleep part that is hard. I am going to get the Ferber Method book today from the library. It has come in just in time. I know these pictures look like she is in motion but seriously, this is the way she sleeps. I will put her down at 8 and when I come to check on her at midnight, she is the exact same way! I had to take a picture.

Welcome baby Jeevan!

Pavan hung out with us most of the day on Sunday. Little did we know that her water would break that night!

Jose got a call around 11pm that Pavan's water had broke. He left for home, picked her up, and whisked her to the hospital! It was just like the movies! She got the drugs, progressed nicely and popped little Jeevan out this morning! To see pictures of little Jeevan, click here.

Jose has a nice website set up for his pictures. Click here to see those.



Jeevan Manuel Navarro
8lbs 9oz
21 inches long
Born 8:18am
and very hairy!!

Weekend pictures

I took some pictures over the weekend of Jon, Terry and Millie. Here are some of my favorites. But to see all the pictures, click here.

Engine Sunday

This morning was Engine 11's first brunch and we were there to celebrate. Poor Mat and Jose have had very little sleep and it's not going to be easy today. But the brunch was great. I had a cheeseburger omelet and it was delicious! We hung out at Engine all day and it was nice to get to spend some time with Mat. Just like the good ole' days of Sidebar, we have to come to Mat in order to see him. But it's all good. Millie seems to like it there and there are always plenty of people who want to play with her. I got to take some pictures of Grandma Terry and Grandpa Jon. Despite the cold and wind, Jon, Terry and Millie were good sports! I think some of the photos turned out great. Click hereto see the pictures.

I was sad dropping off Jon and Terry but I knew that they would be back in just a couple weeks. Jon, Terry, Daniel and Caroline are all coming for New Years! We had a great weekend and it was wonderful to see them.

Santa Saturday

Today was actually pretty eventful. I had the lovely babysitting service of Grandma T so Jon and I headed to Lowes to discuss our door situation. The front and back door need to be replaced and the thought of doing it all was a little overwhelming. I am glad to have Jon's help.

We got back just in time to rush Millie in her holiday dress for her Santa pictures. We took so great pictures before we left. My mom made the dress and the hat although the hat was a little tight on her head. I brought it just in case but we didn't end up using it. Terry and I headed over to b. braithwaite which is a lovely upscale children's store. I decided that we would go this Santa route because the thought of standing in a mall line, having your picture taken by a 17 year old wasn't too appealing. Plus, you had to make an "appointment" to see Santa like back before Thanksgiving!



Back to the story. Millie fell asleep on the way over which means that she wasn't going to be her happy self. But she really did a great job. Alice Park is a fabulous photographer and did a wonderful job trying to make the kids smile. Click here to see all the fabulous Santa pictures. Millie's friend Vince was there so we got to take some fun pictures of Millie and Vince in a white chair. Enjoy the pictures, click here.

After lunch, Terry and I headed up to raid Babies R Us. Terry got Jose/Pavan a gift for baby Jeevan. Terry also got lots of Hanukkah gifts for Millie! She is going to have a great Hanukkah and Christmas!

We jetted back downtown for a quick change and to meet friends for the Hawks/Cavs game. Fluffy gave us suite tickets for the game, free drinks and free food. It was lots of fun. Millie had a good time for awhile and then she was over it. Sweet Grandma Terry did some emergency babysitting while Millie too a nap for most of the game. It was a great game and if felt great to be out and about with adults!

We didn't get to see Mat much today but we will see him tomorrow. We sure do miss him!

Friday

Today Mat's parents came in. It was great to see family again. We have been very blessed these past couple weeks to have so much family come in! Millie and I picked them up at the airport. They has just drove from Jacksonville to Savannah & from Savannah to Atlanta. Jon was in Jacksonville for work and he and Terry drove to Savannah for fun. Anyway, it was great to see them here. We drove straight to Engine 11 to eat some dinner and check things out. I had the steak and it was delicious! Jose and Mat are hanging in there but they need sleep badly!

Millie's School Pictures

Yes she is an infant, but Millie got school pictures. My mom made her this adorable holiday dress. Courtney and Chloe have matching dresses. Can't wait to see them all together!! Millie is also wearing another pair of babylegs. These are reg/green with snowflakes. So cute! Thanks mom!

Early Rise and Y

So my schedule is changing to a 6:30-2:30 sked. It will be this way till Christmas. I am hoping to hang on to it as long as possible. I feel like it allows me to get more time with Millie. And get alot of things done as well. Unfortunately, it takes away a little window that I might get to see Mat. I am sad about that.

It is taking some getting used to. I need to prepare Millie's outfits and bottles the night before so everything is ready for Mat. In the morning before I leave, I nurse her and cross my fingers that she stays asleep until Mat wakes up. Most days this week she has been waking and so I put her in the swing and she falls back asleep. Mat then has to get Millie ready and take her to daycare which is harder than one might think. But he and she have been doing great and Millie is adjusting well.

I'm taking advantage of this schedule and am taking a little time for myself. And trying not to feel guilty about it! I love taking classes at the YMCA and I am glad to be able to do it again. I was working out in the mornings and it wasn't easy. So I am hitting the gym after work and dropping off Millie at the Y daycare...again, trying for a hour not to feel bad about the fact that she is in yet another daycare.

So Millie is officially a YMCA member! She had her first "workout" today. Well, it was my workout. She just hung out in the nursery. We joined the Y knowing they have a great kids program. There are lots of classes offered for kids and it seems really fun. But the real bonus for me is they have daycare. You can use it up to 8 hours a week and it's FREE! So Millie got her card today and I dropped her off to go take a class.

We are trying to get Millie to sit up. She still doesn't like it but we (her teacher and I) are trying. Speaking of teachers, we really love Priya. It's kinda slowing my process of getting a new daycare. It's hard to leave when you know she is in good hands. Here is a picture of Priya. Millie seems to love her and we do to!

Monday Mom-nanny

Today I had to work so Mom watched Millie all day. Seemed like they had a nice day although Millie is on a bit of a napping strike. Mat loved that Mom was right downstairs and they did a bit of a hand-off in the morning. I came home from work and the house was clean. The laundry was done. A couple things that mom and I were working on were completed. It was amazing. I couldn't have done half those things without mom's help.

The realization that we could use a nanny is more prevalent that ever before!! If we could only afford it!

After we got mom all packed up we headed to Engine 11 for some dinner. If we weren't the first costumer that night, we were one of the first. Mat and Jose were running around trying to finish up the menu and doing some last minute things. Mom and I had homemade potato chips with blue cheese. And we split a yummy burger! Both items were very good! Mat and Jose plan on opening for dinner right now and later this week for lunch as well.

Millie and I were sad to see mom go but happy she was able to come and help out so much. I really feel like I can breath a bit more now. So much stuff was piling up that it was hard to see the top. It's tough being a single mommy!

Sunday Christmas

Today was a busy one. I did a photo shoot with my friend Kat's family. It was a first for me and I was really nervous but it went great. Her son Hollister was born just a couple days after Millie and we have become good friends. When I uploaded the pictures, they were taken off my camera so I actually don't have any to show you. But I will shortly. They turned out really well and Kat and MacKenzie seemed to like them.

After the photo shoot, we went to Legal Seafood for a bit of a celebratory lunch/brunch Sunday afternoon. After a great Gator-iffic weekend, the boys survived!! Missy, Roy and Blake were able to join us before their flight. To see pictures of Millie and Blake, click here.

After lunch we went to get a Christmas tree! Since we will be in Atlanta this year, we decided to get a tree. To see a pictures of our tree, click here. Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon running around trying to get lights for the tree. We finally got to decorating it after Millie went to sleep. It looks great and these pictures don't do it justice!

Every year since I was born my parents have gotten me an ornament. Usually it's marking something that happened that year. The year I graduated High School. The year I graduated college. When I was in my sorority. When I met Mat. When we got married. Last year when I was pregnant. Etc. When I left my parents house in 2000, all of my ornaments came with me. When putting up all the ornaments, it's fun to try and remember why each one was given. There is a list somewhere. Maybe Kari has it. Anyway, tt was great to have my mom there so we could chat about each one as we put it up. Don't worry, my mom goes out to find any kind of monkey ornament she can find for Mat! And believe it or not, there are several Jewish ornaments that my mom has found for Mat as well.

Saturday Gator Game

On Saturday we really tried to get Millie to sit up on her own. But she isn't quite there yet. But there are some funny pictures of her trying. I took out the ones of her falling to her left and right. She would just sit there and then quickly lose her balance and fall from side to side. It was funny and she seemed to like it. Click here to see pictures of Saturday.


























Mom and I did a bunch of errands that had been piling up. If I could hire someone to sit in the car with Millie while I run into each store, I would! It's so hard getting everything in/out of the car. So it was great to have my mom there. After all of our running around, Mom dropped me off at Sidebar for the game. Mom was babysitting so it was a parents night out! It was about an hour before game time and Sidebar was packed. It had been all day. People were leaving to walk over to the game and we did too. Our seats were great although we were sitting at a strange angle. It was kinda hard to see the first down marker. And to see if a couple passes were complete but it was great. We got word that Sidebar was packed again, if not more packed, than before. Lots of people who came looking for tickets were unable to find them. So they all went to Sidebar! The boys were dead tired and I was just hoping they would be able to sleep in on Sunday. To see pictures of Saturday Gator madness, click here.

Friday Gator Party

So my mom booked a last minute flight to Atlanta and arrived tonight. AirTran is now flying into Columbus and providing some healthy competition to Delta who owned that market. It's really helps me because I am always looking for cheap flights! So mom booked a really cheap flight to Atlanta and flew in tonight. I picked her up and we headed over to Engine 11 to peek in.

Earlier in the week the UF Alumni group posted all about Engine 11 and their Friday night private party for the Gator Club. There was buzz earlier in the week and the talk grew and grew. Including a 5 min spiel on Q100 radio station this morning about Engine 11 and Sidebar being THE place for Gators this weekend.

Mom sat in the car with a sleeping Millie while I peeked in to see how things were going. The line was out-the-door! It was awesome. I had never seen so much Blue and Orange in one place! They had stopped serving food when I arrived and were happy that was over. Mat and Jose were doing great and very happy with the way things were going. It was a long late night for them but they did a fabulous job! Kirk Herbstreit and Erin Andrews of ESPN were there as well. Not bad for an opening night!

Tomorrow is going to be just as busy, if not more! Hopefully the boys can make it till Sunday!

Sidebar and Engine 11 make the press all weekend long

Much of this video was shot at Sidebar. Three articles now about Jose and Mat. The first one is practically a bio about the boys.

Gator fans chomping at bit

No tickets? No problem: Watching the game in Atlanta

In Atlanta, Gator fans whoop it up after Gator win

Engine 11 Friends and Family

To see some pictures from the night, click here.

Engine 11's Friends and Family night was a hit on Wednesday. I would say there were about 100 or so people there. All great friends of Jose and Mat. Many who have been friends for a long time. It was great to meet the new staff and watch everyone in action. I didn't see much of Jose and Mat because they were extremely busy. The kitchen was a little rough. Due to many problems that I can't begin to list, the kitchen has some work that needs to be done.

Millie was in her party outfit and was on her best behavior. She was passed from friend to friend and loved all the new people. After some dinner she fell asleep in the car seat and slept through all of the commotion.

Engine 11 will now close until Friday when they are host to a huge UF Alumni party.

Good Day / Bad Day

What a Tuesday
Voting today for the Georgia Senate Run off
Last minute preps at Engine 11 for the friends & family tomorrow
Picture day at daycare for Millie
Grandpa Harold's 90th Birthday celebration in Philly
Baby Jonah's Bris in Philly as well
And the Atlanta Tainows got broken into.

Yep, our wonderful home was broken into today. It's amazing how violated you feel when this happens. Around 2pm this afternoon, our alarm went off. They called Mat and then call the police. A neighbor had seen kids in a red Jeep trying to break in and called the police as well. They were there shortly but the damage was done.

On Sunday Mat installed a Strikemaster on the front door. They did attempt to kick in the front door but thanks to the Strikemaster, were unsuccessful. Although they jumped the fence and did break in through our french doors in the back which were dead bolted. At least the Strikemaster bought us more time. More people possibly saw them? In any case, the break in did a number on our front and back door. Both will have to be replaced.

Mat filled out police report. They dusted for fingerprints but the kids were wearing gloves. Poor Siler. She has been freaked all day. I thought she might have gotten out in all the commotion but Mat found her in the corner of our office very scared. My Mac laptop was stolen and our TV has minor damage. That is what they game to get. But I think it was just too heavy to have go out the back door and carry over the fence. They took my tivo remote and so I have been stuck on the food network all evening.

Our neighbors are so kind and all offered to help. They really are the best neighbors to have. Everyone is on an email chain. We all have each other numbers. We all watch out for each other and help others in need. We have a great little community here.

To see pictures of the break in, click here.

Despite all the crazyness of today, we are still okay. Millie is fine. Mat is stressed but fine. I am kinda scared but fine.

Poor Mat didn't have time for any of this mess today. Engine 11 opens tomorrow so send your best wishes (via brain waves and not phone calls) to Mat. I don't think he can handle any more phone calls. He and Jose have worked so hard and it will be great to see everything come together. Millie has a party dress and I am going to take plenty of pictures.

4 month appointment

Millie did great today at her appointment. We asked Dr. D all kinds of questions.

Her sweaty-ness is normal albeight gross. We might dress her in a little less clothing at night.
The popping in her right armpit is just her growing. It's normal.
Her lack of poo somedays is totally normal. We shouldn't worry.
We need to get some Vitamin D drops.
We need to get some baby oil to help take care of her cradle cap.
We are going to start rice cereal and a veggie or two around 6 months (January 22).
I had to leave to appointment to head to work but she got her 2nd round of shots. Daddy took great care of her.

New stats:
weight: 13.71lb (43%)
length: 25.9in (92%)
head: 16.6in (73%)

To see pictures from the doctors appointment, click here.

Here is what we have to look forward to in the next couple months!
• Try to grab things with her hands.
• Wiggle and kick with her arms and legs.
• Sit with support.
• Begin teething.
• Roll over from stomach to back and back to stomach.
• Respond to a shaking rattle and peek-a-boo games.
• Express herself by laughing when happy, or crying or turning away to show signs of fear, anger or dislike.
• Use eyes and hands together.
• Explore objects with her mouth.
• Use verbal and non-verbal cues to signal her needs.
• Understand that she can reach to touch objects.
• Try to talk to image of self in mirror.

Babylegs

Check out my Babylegs made with love from Mama D! They keep me warm and also add some SPICE to my wardrobe!

Vince and Millie

On Friday I took the day off to watch Millie and her friend Vince. Vince is 8 month old and is a ball of fun. He is sitting up, playing with everything, chewing anything he can, doing the army crawl, and rocking back and forth like a horse. You have to watch him because he will take off! V loved Siler and laughed at her most of the day. Vince is eating food so I got to feed him some rice cereal and peas. He took a nice nap for me too!

Millie and Vince got along very well. She would watch all the Vince did. They played very nicely with each other. Vince would see what Millie was doing and then take whatever she was playing with. It was alot of fun to see them interacting. Enjoy the pictures from our afternoon of fun!