Roly Poly Girl!!!

Anna Dixon is growing, growing, growing! She already has 6 teeth, 4 on top and 2 on bottom, and today I noticed that a third tooth has broken through on the bottom. She started teething around 6 months, and boy have they been coming in fast since then. She is sitting up but not crawling yet. Don't let that fool you, though, she is quite mobile. She rolled over at 4 months, but as a friend put it the other day she is now rolling with a purpose. I'm beginning to wonder if she is going to crawl at all because she rolls wherever she wants to go. The other day she was playing on the rug in our bedroom. I went into the bathroom for a minute, and when I came out she had rolled all the way across the room, pulled a fan plug out of the wall, and was chewing on the end of it. I quickly took the plug out of her hand, told her no, and turned around to wrap the cord around the fan to get it out of the way. When I turned back around AD laying flat on her back had scooted to the wall and had her hand up the wall trying to stick her fingers in the outlet! She will not be deterred! So, maybe it is time to baby proof the house. A couple of days later she was playing in our dressing room. I walked out of the bedroom, and when I came back in she had rolled into the bathroom and was playing with the shower curtain. Even though I was a little concerned that she might pull the curtain down on herself, I thought it was pretty cute so I grabbed the camera and caught it on tape. Here is our little roly poly girl...

Chattanooga Choo Choo!

Last weekend Tommy, Anna Dixon, and I took an impromptu trip to Chattanooga. We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Tommy used to stay there when he was little (to my knowledge I've never actually stayed at the hotel), so we thought it would be fun to take AD. Well let me tell you, I don't think they have updated it since Tommy was a little boy. It was pretty gross to say the least! But, in spite of our not so stellar accommodations, we had a great time! We drove over on Friday morning and ate at Tony's one of our favorite restaurants in the Bluff View Art District (a really awesome area of town near the aquarium). Then we poked around some art galleries and walked across the river on the pedestrian bridge. We both agreed that Chattanooga is one of the few other places we could live. It is just a really cool city. All three of us did enjoy the pool at the Choo Choo and eating at the Station House restaurant. All the waiters and waitresses sing, so it was a really fun atmosphere. The next day we headed out to the zoo. We have been to the aquarium twice, so we thought we would try something new. Chattanooga has a really small but nice zoo. In the middle of our visit the bottom dropped out of the sky. So, we ran into the chimpanzee exhibit. We were in there for about an hour, but changed a diaper, gave a bottle, and fed AD while we were there! It turned out to be an awesome spot to wait out the rain, though. They had four chimps one male and three females, and I have never seen anything like it in real life. It was a circular exhibit with three huge windows. The male chimp would run from window to window banging on them or stand in front of them and beat his chest. At one point he swung from a branch and bounced off one of the windows with his feet. Apparently, the two young females were in heat. There was one x-rated scene that Tommy and I had to shield AD's eyes from, but we both agreed the chimps were worth the admission fee. Interesting fact: while we were there a tour group came through and the guide said that chimpanzees have an intelligence level of a 14 year old...who knew? Of course we took a few pictures. Can you believe AD will be 8 months tomorrow!

loves Mama's sunglasses!

laid back!

teething?!?

Crafting

I have always wanted to be one of those cool crafty moms, but to be honest those super creative moms out there with five children are really putting me to shame. I have a list of things in my head that I would like to do around the house but weeks go by, and I never seem to get to them. For instance, I was going to make pillows for my den sofas. I even bought fabric for them...never made them...saw some a Target that I thought would work...bought them instead. Well, I finally finished a crafting project for Anna Dixon's nursery! It only took me about an hour, and it probably should not have taken me that long. Tommy painted an old bookshelf of ours to put in Anna Dixon's room, and I wanted to get a lamp to go on it. I found the perfect lamp at Pottery Barn kids for $60+ dollars, so I decided to make a cheaper version. I got the base and shade at Target and the ribbon at Hobby Lobby. It was not the most complicated project but not a bad first attempt at being crafty. Here it is...

5 Month Photographs

The Saturday before we went to the beach we had some photographs taken of Anna Dixon. We are so pleased with how they turned out and can't wait to cover our walls with them! Stephanie Allums of S. Allums Photography took them. (www.sallumsphotography.com) We had a great time with her. She was so wonderful with Anna Dixon, and we can't wait to have her back to take some more. Not only is she a very talented photographer, she is also a fellow adoptive mama. So, we had lots to talk about. She has a precious little boy who was adopted domestically from birth, and she is waiting to bring home her other son from Guatemala. Here are some pictures from the session.

I see the beach!!!

"I see the beach!" is a little family inside joke. Tommy and I and now Anna Dixon go to the beach with my family every summer. This is a fun tradition we started a few years ago. As we make our beach plans, usually over email, we like to end with "I see the beach!" as a way of anticipating the trip and showing our excitement...yes kinda quirky but that's my family for you! Anyway, we went to the beach a couple of weeks ago. I wouldn't say that AD loved the beach, but she was a champ and tolerated it well enough. Everyone says that AD looks like Tommy, and amazingly she inherited his very fair skin...through adoption...go figure? So, my fair skinned sweethearts spent most of their time under an umbrella. AD did however really like the pool. I'm sure that she will embrace both much more next year. She did love hanging out with all her aunts, uncles, cousins, and Bibi!  I've spent the last couple of years watching my niece and nephew playing in the sand wondering when our little angel would arrive. It was so precious to watch them play this year while holding my sweet baby girl in my arms and anticipating her playing with them next year!

Most of the week was spent relaxing by the water. However, one night after dinner we had quite an adventure. As Bibi was washing the dishes, she dropped a baking dish in the sink. It broke into two pieces and one edge sliced her hand just below her thumb. I was impressed at how we all sprung into action. We immediately sat my mom down and put pressure on the wound. Tommy grabbed his iphone and found directions to the nearest hospital. He also had the ingenious idea of wrapping her hand in a burp cloth (they are very absorbent), and my brother-in-law happened to have some gauze in his back pack (must have been a boy scout) that he used to tie around the burp cloth. We were in the car and on the way to the ER in a matter of minutes. Thank the Lord the emergency room was empty, so two hours and 8 stitches later we were on our way back to the beach house. Bibi was a real trooper bless her heart! Despite our little mishap, we had a great time being together!

Here are a few pictures from the trip...

on our way!

first walk on the beach

play time

AD and aunt SR

nap time

at the Red Bar

me and my sisters

1st Mother's Day

Last Sunday was my first Mother's Day. It was a long awaited and very special celebration. I promised you I would be honest about what we have been through, so here is confession #1. I have not been to church on Mother's Day in two years. I am not saying that was right but it was how I coped with our situation. It was just too painful to watch other young mothers celebrate while my heart ached so badly. This year it was not only my first Mother's Day, but Anna Dixon was baptized that Sunday. It was so special! Not only did the Lord answer my prayers by making me a mother, but we claimed God's promise to us as a family with the baptismal sign that Anna Dixon is His covenant child. Our prayer is that she will come to know Him as her personal Lord and Saviour at a very young age. My cousin Bill who married me and Tommy baptized her which made it extra special. After church my mom and sister gave an absolutely wonderful celebration brunch for our families and some close friends...thank you! It was an all around fabulous day that I will never forget. Anna Dixon was baptized in the same gown as her cousins, Samuel and Mary Ryburn. Their names are embroidered on the slip along with their baptism dates as a historical record. Of course we took some pictures...

My family

Our friends Mitchell and Gigi
and our god daughter
Anna Holt

Tommy's family

Anna Dixon and Anna Holt
getting to know each other

1st Easter

Anna Dixon had a big Easter weekend. Not only was it her first Easter but it was also her first road trip. She was quite surprised to learn that there is more than one state in the USA. She did great both on the way to Bibi's house and on the way back home. In addition to traveling, she was able to meet so many close friends who have supported and prayed for us along the way. It was a busy busy weekend, and she was a champ through it all. On Friday, we had a chance to have lunch with two of my best friends from college, Lauren and Alicia. On Saturday we had lunch with our dear family friends on both sides, the Ingrams, and got to see another best friend, Monica. Anna Dixon also met my mom's sweet neighbors and two of her good friends. She smiled and cooed and slept and was just as precious as can be. It was so good to see everyone! Everybody was so excited to meet our precious angel. So many people have played a part in praying Anna Dixon home...I am overwhelmed by all the love and joy...thank you!

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day with the family. How amazing that we all get to celebrate God's fulfillment of His promise of redemption through His son Jesus Christ. Easter is a wonderful reminder of our adoption as sons and daughters of the Lord. My prayer is that Anna Dixon's earthly adoption will always point her to her ultimate adoption in Christ. Tommy and I say to each other all the time that we could not love her more...but the Lord does. Isn't that amazing? Praise the Lord for His grace freely given to us through the death and resurrection of His only son!

Now here are some pictures from Anna Dixon's 1st Easter weekend...

AD and my friend Lauren

All our wonderful friends

AD and Bibi

AD and Grand Bob