Flower Girl Debut

As mentioned in my previous blog, my brother got married this weekend. It was a very nice and simple ceremony and they asked Landry to be there flower girl. Now this was a pretty ambitious request because we all know that 18-month-olds can be pretty unpredictable. However, sometimes that is what makes a wedding fun and memorable.

The afternoon of the wedding, Landry woke up from her nap in a less than pleasant mood. She could sense we were about to make her do something and she would not have it. She clinged to me and screamed anytime someone would come near her. Oh Joy! So I asked the wedding coordinator if I could have Landry's basket to distract her. It worked! Landry thought it was so much fun throwing the petals on the ground and putting them back in her basket.

Show time came, and she walked in with the mothers. She was stunned at first when she walked in, because she saw all the people staring at her, but it didn't take her long to get the hang of her "job". The only downside was that she ran out of flower petals at the end of the aisle and wanted to go back and pick them back up so she could throw them again. That's when she decided to show a little bit of her temper. But all in all, she did great. Here are a few pics of the special day and I was finally able to add the video.

Lil' Traveler

Landry took her first plane ride this past weekend. My (Amber) brother got married in Amarillo, which is about 22 hours from where we live. We were not brave enough to drive that whole way with an almost 18-month-old. Kudos to those of you who have. So we made the decision, that Landry and I would fly to Amarillo alone, and then we would meet Daddy after the wedding in Dallas. I was still a little frightened about the prospect of flying alone with a child. Our Carry-on items were strategically chosen and included lots of snacks, diapers, extra clothes, an umbrella stroller, and of course the DVD player and collection of Baby Einstein. We would not leave home without it!

So we got on our first flight. Landry was pretty exhausted at this point, but excited about being in a new place. She checked things out for a bit, but fell asleep before the plane even took off. VICTORY! She woke up halfway through the flight so we ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and then watched some Baby Einstein. Now my child knows what she wants and doesn't mind letting you know about it. While watching Baby Einstein, if I were to crack the window ever so slightly to see where we were, before I could even sneak a peek, Landry would reach over and slam the window down. I tried this a few times before I finally learned that I wasn't getting away with it.

After Landing in DFW, we had a short lay over, Landry got to play in one of the designated play areas, which is where I took the pictures. It was then time to board our second plane, which would be a much shorter flight. Landry handled it like a pro, hardly making anyone aware that there was a toddler on the plane. I was delighted to say the least.

Landry's flying adventures were a success!

Girly Girl

It's so neat watching babies turn into little girls and little boys.  I've mentioned this in some of my previous posts, but because it is so evident in Landry's life right now, I feel it appropriate to mention it again.  It seems so far that Landry is definitely a girly girl and it is super cute.  She's recently gotten attached to baby dolls.  She wants to bring them everywhere with her.  In fact, we had quite the melt-down the other day when we told her she couldn't bring her baby doll into the bathtub with her.  She also loves to "help" me put on my make-up.  When I pull my make-up bag out, she immediately drops everything and comes running.  She likes to act like she is putting lotion on her face and eye shadow on her eyes.  She mimics EVERYTHING I do. Another thing she loves is jewelry.  My mom bought her a jewelry box a while back and put lots of plastic necklaces in it.  Several times a day, Landry will bring the box to me and clap her hands, meaning "Open this please".  She then precedes to put every single necklace on.  She looks FABULOUS afterwards.  The funny thing is that she thinks everything that is long and "string like" is a necklace.  The other day she walked into the living room with the cord from our video camera around her neck.  Kind of scary, I know, but funny none the less.  

GEAUX Tigers!!

Landry is geared up and ready for the big game tonight.  Maybe she will be a little good luck charm to them!  Ashleigh....thanks for the cutie pie outfit.  Sorry it's taken me forever to post pics of Landry in it.

Happy Daddy's Day!

We had a great Father's Day today.  Landry made Daddy a card while he was away.  She has learned about stickers recently and she really likes them.  So I pulled out some stickers I had and let her go to town.  Of course, I wrote what was inside, but I know it is what Landry would say if she could.  

We also went to church, took daddy out to Texas Roadhouse, and took a family bike ride.  It was just a nice day to celebrate daddy.

To our dads, we love you and are so thankful for you!  Wish we could be there on Father's Day, but we are excited that we will see you next weekend!

Bubble Head

Landry LOVES bubbles!! What kid doesn't. Anytime Landry spots one of her many different containers of bubbles, she brings them to me or Cory and claps her hands. That is her sign for "more" which she uses anytime she wants anything. For Easter, Cory's mom sent Landry a bubble gun. It shoots out lots of miniature bubbles at a time and Landry thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. Actually, Daddy thinks it's pretty great also because he learned he can do tricks like this.....

She's Got The Beat

No matter where we are, the instant Landry starts hearing music, her heads starts bobbing. If she's is a position to dance, she will, but the head bob is the cutest. Here. she's listening to some music on the computer with Daddy. She's gets off beat a couple of times, but for the most part she stays on pretty good.

Bye Bye Binkie?

I Don't Think So! Recently I was talking to a few friends who said they got rid of their kids' pacifiers when they were around 18 months old, and they made it sound so easy. So, since Landry is now 17 months old and Daddy is away at camp for a week, I thought tonight might be the perfect opportunity. You see, Daddy, while stronger in most situations, is sometimes weak when it comes to seeing his little girl upset. Which Daddy isn't? Mom, on the other hand, knows how important it is to be strong now so we won't have to fight awful battles later on. Well, I stand before you honestly tonight to say that I am weak.

As I got Landry ready for bed, we brushed our teeth as usual, read a few books, prayed, and then grabbed the binkie and bunny. However, the binkie was no ordinary binkie. It had a hole cut on the end of it so that it would flatten when she tried to suck it. This apparently has worked for so many people, so why shouldn't it work for me. When I first gave it to her, I thought it was quite funny because she kept taking it out of her mouth and looking at it like "why aren't you working?" But then as I tucked her into bed and left the room, the crying started. And the crying continued and intensified. I was so strong for a while, but she was really ripping my heart out with the pitiful whimpers. I let the crying go on for 30 minutes, but it was not getting any better. And this wasn't the normal, "I'm trying to get your attention" cry. I had heard this cry before, but only on very few occasions, when she was extremely broken-hearted.

I broke. I couldn't take it any longer. I walked into her room, and there she was laying their with her bunny, soaking wet from tears and the broken binkie still in her mouth. I picked her up and tried to give her a good binkie, but she didn't even want that. She just wanted to be held. It took a good 20 more minutes for me to settle her down and put her back to bed. She even cried when I laid her back down, like she was having a flashback or something. My goodness, what a traumatic experience.

Needless to say, I think I will be waiting a little longer to get rid of the binkie. Hopefully, when she gets to an age to think more logically, we can let her give her binkie away to a baby or something. For now, it's sticking with Landry.

Our Baby is Taking care of Babies!

Well, it's obvious that Landry is really growing up. She's taller, looking more mature, doing so many new things, etc. She's not even considered a baby anymore, although, I'm sure we will refer to her as a baby for a long time to come. About a month or so ago, she really took an interest in taking care of her own babies. It's bittersweet to see her grow up. We want to keep her tiny, but it is amazing to see her develop into the little girl she is becoming. In this video, I have recorded a couple of different occasions of Landry "ta ta-ing" , or taking care of her baby dolls. You'll see one nice outburst come from her. She is great at expressing her frustration (as you've seen in some earlier videos.) Also, you'll see on instance of her counting. When she reaches over to the toy in her bedroom and touches it several times, you'll hear her say, "uh, uh, uh, uh, uh." Ok, so we're really working on pronunciation, but you can definitely hear the pitch in her voice get higher. That's what she does when she counts. She loves to count everything! I hope you get a kick out of this video, and please leave some comments!

Landry's First Swimming Lesson

Today was Landry's very first swimming lesson. She was oh so cute in her little bathing suit and baby crocs. The main purpose of today's lesson was to get them used to the water. Landry handled it like a champ. The water was a little chilly to begin with so she and I were both a little hesitant, but before I knew it she was loving it. I guess we'd call today a success!