Bookworm

Neely has a new friend, Alina, who likes to come over and play. She is 8, but she LOVES to play with Neely. She actually made Neely a teddy bear in the Build-A-Bear store in the mall. She takes lessons from Marcus, and she is the cutest little girl ever! She came over last week, and Neely is almost as enamored with Alina as she is with books! Actually enamored with books is an understatement! She is obsessed with books. I hope the trend continues and she loves reading for a lifetime! Here she is reading with Alina.
Also, Neely is getting close to taking steps. She is pulling up on everything and likes to stand "bup" by herself! She is so much fun and is saying new words every day. She said "thank you" to the Chinese waitress the other day and yesterday she said "cracker" and "golf." We are working on "tennis!"

Little Pumpkin

Neely has made it clear recently whom she prefers...it's Daddy! She follows him everywhere and always wants him to hold her whenever he is around. It is so sweet, although not so rewarding for the stay at home mom! Honestly, I am so glad Marcus and Neely have a special bond. Here are some recent pictures of them playing.

You may also notice what color veggies Neely has been eating lately-- orange! She has temporarily turned orange, as you can see in some of the pictures. Now she really is a little pumpkin.

We walked up to the neighborhood park and lake last weekend. Here are a few pictures with Daddy...and also playing in the bath and the laundry basket and in the kitchen...you can tell by the crying picture...It's tough being a baby! (as my brother says)

First Mother's Day!

Neely and I went to visit Bertie (and Robert) this weekend for Mother's Day and for her 60th birthday! It was a quick trip but a fun one! We went out to dinner and then to church on Sunday. When I picked up Neely from the nursery, the lady keeping her said that she latched onto this little ball and would not let it go. Wouldn't you know it was a plastic yellow tennis ball. Then we had a picnic on the front poch of my parents' house. We had plans to go fishing, but we didn't make it down to the lake. Next time, Pop!

Happy Birthday mom and Happy Mother's Day to all!

The Golden Ticket

We have great news! We went to the pediatric ortho specialist today, and Neely's hip is doing really well! The doctor said it looks like she will not need to have surgery! Praise the Lord. We are so grateful for His healing and answering our prayers. She does not need to wear the harness at all now, so now it is just a matter of teaching her how to sleep without it! She cried for 45 minutes today and would not take a nap when I didn't strap her into the harness for the first time. She is definitely wearing it to bed tonight!! I will have to wean her off of it. Although, a few sleepless nights may be a small price to pay for Neely's progress.

The doctor did say that once she starts walking, we will need to bring her back again for a standing x-ray. This will be the "golden ticket" out of the woods for surgery.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our baby!

We walked up the 13th hole last weekend, and Neely sat on a blanket while daddy played some golf. Here are some pictures.

Around the House

SO, has anyone been watching the Bachelor? I must say, this season is smashing. Check out my link to Bachelor Recaps so you can laugh about Bev, Tessa the Messa, and the gang.

Here are some recent pictures of Neely. She is crawling everywhere now, and she is lots of fun! Not too much else to tell, but we are really enjoying her right now.

By the way, those of you who have kids...did people start asking you when you were going to have your next one before your first one was even a year old? I would LOVE to have more, but right now, I can't quite imagine the logistics of it. My hair is just now growing back from having Neely! :) However, it is a BLAST. Nine months is a great age.

We went to Hamilton for Easter, and Neely got to spend time with her cousins, Miller (1) and Tate (3), and we got to see my parents and my brother and sister-in-law, Travis and Melanie.

We had a great time. Neely liked her first Easter basket! She was not so sure about sharing it, though!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Hope everyone has a really nice upcoming weekend. We are going to Hamilton to visit my family. I am sure I will have new pictures of Neely with her cousins!

I lost my cable that connects my camera to my computer, so I have not been able to put any new pictures up in the last week. We are really getting settled into our new house, although every day, we keep saying we feel like we are on vacation! I wonder when that will end.

Several friends have asked for pictures of the new house. I have not taken any yet, but I will hopefully do it soon and I will post it so that all of you friends who live far away can "visit." Here are a few recent pictures of Neely.

Neely and I went on a walk up to the Yacht Club to see Marcus at tennis. She picked up a ball there and held it the 1.5 mile ride home. I hate to say it, but she is obsessed with tennis balls right now. It is really funny. I am sure people think we are brainwashing her...some babies have blankies, but Neely has a tennis ball.

Neely is growing up so fast! She will be nine months old on Saturday! I can hardly believe it.

She says, "Dada," "Mama," "light (dight)," and "Pop (my dad)."



She likes to hold her bottle with one hand and she loves to eat squash and green beans. She has 3 teeth!






This is her new hilarious face she loves making!