Catching up...

Dear Chloe,


I'm very sorry I've been such a "bad blogger." I can't ever seem to remember to post updates very often. I have a great desire to keep everything recorded so you can see how you grew when your older. I'd like to start keeping this blog for YOU now...little notes to you that you can read someday. Our family and friends will be able to keep up with you and your growth as well. I hope to include these postings in your scrapbooks and other memory albums one day! I can't wait to sit down with my grown up little girl and show her all the things she did when she was tiny!

You will be 9 months old in a few days - and what a big girl you are becoming! You are wanting so badly to start walking around and keeping up with everyone. We thought you were going to skip crawling completely but last Sunday you began to creep some and have continued to grow more and more efficient at it all week! Mostly, though, you just want to walk around like the big people. :-)

We found out in June that you are going to have a new little brother or sister soon! He/she will be here sometime in February. You were so good at helping me keep the secret from Daddy for a few days until we could surprise him on Father's Day with the Big News! I wanted to keep it a secret, but I HAD to tell SOMEBODY! You were a great confidant! :-) I am so excited for you because there will only be about 15 months between you and your brother or sister. I just know you are going to have so much fun with each other!

I guess because of the fact that another Schultz baby is on the way, this blog will have to be shared between you and him/her. What a great way to keep a close eye on how you each grow, side-by-side.

Here are some of the things we've been doing lately:

We found a baby deer in our back yard one morning. The mamma had left it there and it died after only 6 days from a sickness. You seemed to like it our little pet! (But not when it used your bottle to eat!)

You enjoy bath time at Gigi's!

You discover the joy of bubbles with Daddy!

Nana D. visits us and finds out one of your favorite things is..... WATER! :-)

Helping Daddy in the garden. xoxo

Kissing your very best friend!

Adorable hat!!

Eating Memaw's Broccoli and Cheddar soup from Panera Bread! YUMMY!

First time bowling...you didn't care so much to bowl the ball, but you LOVED watching the pins fall over!

This is the fantastic influence you are surrounded by... Thanks Tante...

Little Miss Piggy! How are you so skinny when you eat so much ice cream?!

Daddy exposing you to his favorite burrito place: Freebirds

We made a "C" for you to hang up on the wall before we left! :-)

Helping Aunt Maddy with the dishes. What a big helper! :-)

Here's to me keeping up with this blog much better than I have been! I love you, my sweet baby girl!

Love Always and Forever,
Mommy

7 months

At almost 7 months old, Chloe weighed in at 15lbs 2oz at her last MD appt. and was 26.5in long. That's 6lbs 9oz and 4.5in of healthy growth! :) She is growing up so fast, we can hardly believe it! She's now eating much more "solid" food: mostly carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, and zucchini. Surprisingly, the peaches and plums we tried most recently weren't a big hit...too sweet, maybe?! But we will try them again in a few days and start expanding her palate. She tried diluted apple juice for the first time today - seemed to really like that!

On May 24 she cut her first tooth. She surprised us by her happy temperament and ease of cutting her first tooth. Today, she cut the second one. And this was not a happy day at all! She was fussy and in discomfort all day. The Orajel and Tylenol seemed to help some.

David, Chloe and I took a trip to the river yesterday. Chloe's first experience. :) Her Memaw and aunts met us there along with a few friends. She LOVED it! It wasn't too cold and we were the only ones in our spot for a long time. We even let her hang on the rope swing for a little bit. It was a blast (as you can tell by the pictures)!

4 months, 26 days

Well, my beautiful daughter came about 5 months ago: Monday - November 8, 2010.
She was born at 5:17pm (17:17 military) and was 8lbs 9oz, 22in long.

She was BEAUTIFUL!!! After laboring for 11 hours I was blessed to hold her in my arms for the first time. I never could have imagined her more beautiful! I was so proud...and her daddy was extremely proud as well! :)

We stayed in the hospital 2 days, learning to feed and change and handle this new life. Chloe struggled to adapt to nursing on her own, but we got the hang of it after a few days.

She's was such an easy newborn! Started sleeping through the night at 4 days old! Never cries at anything other than being excessively hungry, poopy, or tired! She's also very strong, holding her head up very well long before the doctor predicted. Her long, strong legs have her holding a lot of her weight on her own - we just have to work on that balance of her's! And she's so smart! She surprises me every day with something new and brilliant that she's able to do. :)

I am so blessed with a husband who makes it possible for me to be able to stay home with Chloe every day! I can't imagine having to work and missing all of her development. It would be terrible to miss her first words or steps...but there are other things almost every day that I would die if I missed, also! Thank you David for letting me stay at home with our daughter!

The family adores her, of course! The grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, aunts, uncle, cousins, etc. are thrilled each time they get to see her! And she's very friendly and loves being held and entertained by anyone. ;)

She's beginning to be able to hold herself up in a sitting position more and more - can't quite get it completely right yet, but is very close! She also has recently figured out how to walk forward while in her walker. She loves her toys and looking at books. She LOVES being outside. I think she already has a favorite teddy bear. She's quite a gifted sleeper and can sleep anywhere, through anything - like her parents!

It's crazy...after only 5 months I can't remember what life was like before Chloe was here! What did David and I do every day without her?! I don't know. What I do know is, I LOVE BEING A MOTHER!!!!!