Hanging out...

With Mimi, watching my new Baby Neptune DVD

With Grandaddy, playing with my favorite turtle (thank you Nana!!) named Snappy Tom

With Grandaddy at the farm

With Mama at the farm, wearing the snuggly bear suit Uncle Cliff gave me

With Mama at the Lake, wearing my little Uggs!

With Mimi on the porch, wearing my favorite hat : )

Lia's Baptism

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28th, we had Lia baptized at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Auburn. It was such a glorious day! We were blessed to have so many of our friends and family join us for the celebration. First, we had the baptism at 1:00 at the church. The ceremony was wonderful. Father Bill was just amazing, and we are so thankful that he was able to perform the baptism for Lia. Afterward, we went down the street to Terra Cotta Cafe and had a beautiful luncheon. We are so grateful to everyone who made the trip to be there with us! Lia got so many thoughtful gifts, and my gift truly was getting to share such a special day with the people that we love. Thank you all for being a part of the beginning of Lia's spiritual life!

With Mom and Dad before the baptism

Getting baptized. Lia was SO good through the entire baptism! She was mesmerized by Father Bill. I hope she continues to be that good in church!!

With Uncle Cliff, Mimi and Grandaddy

With Uncle Steve, Aunt Natasha, Nana, Papa, and Mawmaw and Pawpaw Thomas

With Lia's god parents, Uncle Cliff and Aunt Ginny. Thank you both for sharing in this special day and for the commitment you have made to Lia as she grows in the church. I couldn't imagine two more loving people to guide her as she learns about the faith!

Our little bug all dressed up! She wore the baptismal gown that I wore when I was baptized as a baby. I hope we can continue to pass it down through the generations.

Thanksgiving and Auburn football : )

Making the gravy with my dad. We had Thanksgiving at the lake this year. It was wonderful!

Tailgating with Clifford and Suzanna before the Auburn Alabama game. My mom kept Lia at the lake while we went into town for the game. The tigers played a great game until the last two minutes. I wish we would've been able to hang on for the win, but we still had a great time!

New Moon on my bday!

On my birthday, my mom, Lia and I flew from Houston to Atlanta. Lia went with my mom and dad to their house for the night, and I went to celebrate with Erin, Rachel, and Lauren. We went to eat and see New Moon. It was so much fun to have a girls night! We had a blast, and it was wonderful knowing that Lia was fine so I could enjoy the night (my first night away from her!!) without worrying constantly. Rachel went to so much trouble to make shirts for us to wear to the movies (don't worry, we were laughing at ourselves it was so dorky!) Then, on Saturday Rachel drove me to the lake and spent the night with us. I was so surprised to see the most beautiful flowers I have ever received waiting for me when I got there Saturday! My thoughtful husband was so sweet to send such a wonderful gift! Here are pics of the weekend:

First attempt at solids

Well, this Saturday we made our first attempt at eating rice cereal. It went as well as could be expected. She got a little frustrated a few times, but she did good considering. It's funny to think that she has to literally learn how to use her tongue to push the food to the back of her mouth to swallow. Our second attempt was this morning, and it went a little better. We used the high chair this time which made it easier for me. Here are a fews pics and a video of the event:

Bath, bottle, bedtime

I love spending time with my Daddy! He gave me a bath before bed this weekend. We had so much fun together!

4 month doctor visit

Yesterday, Lia had her 4 month checkup and next round next vaccinations. She weighed 11 lbs 15 oz and was 24 inches long. She is in the 50% for height and 10-25% for weight. Dr. Taylor said she was growing perfectly and following the same growth curve that she has been on since birth.

The shots were difficult, as always, but she did ok and I was able to nurse her right away to calm her down. This is my last week breastfeeding. I am down to once per day now and Lia is having formula for the other 4 feedings per day. I am having mixed emotions about stopping, but I know she has gotten so much of the benefits already and it is time for me to get back to eating normally before Thanksgiving.

We were also given the green light to start solid foods. We will probably try this weekend and see how it goes. If she doesn't like it, we will wait a week and try again. We will start with rice cereal for a couple of weeks, then move on to vegetables and fruits. You are supposed to wait 5 days after each introduction of a new food so it will be a long time before she is eating all the fruits and veggies on a regular basis. I am excited about this new phase and will be sure to post pics or a video of our first attempt!

Here are a few things that Lia is doing at (almost) 4 months:
-Smiling at everyone
-Laughing
-Making lots of "Ahhhh" noises
-Straightening her legs when you stand her up
-Holding her head up, still with a little bobble
-Raising herself up when laying on her stomach, and trying to roll over
-Taking 3 naps a day
-Eating 5 times a day
-Getting a bath every night
-Going to bed about 7:30 and sleeping until 5:00 on most nights

Lia is an absolute joy and the love of our lives. We can't imagine life without her and feel so blessed to have such an amazing and beautiful daughter!!!

All dressed up to have lunch with Daddy!

Miller playing with Sage

Sage and Miller had a blast last weekend when they were at our house for the day. Sage loved it when Miller licked him, then they sat in the grass together and played. Miller is such a good boy!!

Happy Halloween!

Lia was a ladybug for Halloween this year! We strolled over to our friends Ryan and Keri's house and Lia got to hang out with Sage in his monkey suit. We had fun! The TN game was at 6:45 though, so we headed home early and had dinner at home while we watched it. Lia has started getting her bath, having her last bottle, and going to bed about 7:30. She slept 9 1/2 hours the other night!! We are so proud of her. We are trying to get her on a regular schedule as far as naps go. Usually she only sleeps for 45 minutes, so I'm trying to lengthen her naps so she has 3 a day that are a little longer, like an hour or more. She has dropped another feeding and now eats 5 times a day (6 on nights where she wakes up at 3 am! of course that never happens on nights that Philip is on duty - I don't know how he gets so lucky!!) We are interviewing a new babysitter tomorrow. Well, we have already interviewed her, but tomorrow will be like a working interview or a trial run to see how she does with Lia. If things go well, she will start coming to our house to watch Lia from 10-2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am so nervous about leaving Lia with someone new. I am doing my best to stay calm. I'm sure I will get used to it quickly and having a regular sitter will be a blessing to us. Happy Halloween from the Catos!!

Hanging out with Miller

Miller is so sweet with Lia!

Watching tv with Daddy