Starting Our Own Tribe, VBS, & Craving Stillness

Are you Native American? Do you have an Indian background? Those are some questions people ask me because I have two daughters with Indian type names. Honestly, I can't say if I have an Indian background. I should look into that...Trey says we're starting our own tribe. Oooookay, then.

Look who is participating in Vacation Bible School.

I've been taking her every day this week. She has got to be enjoying the break from me. She is loving all the Jesus songs, dancing and playing. Tomorrow, she'll be performing all the songs she learned.

This week, we've been doing a lot of coming and going -- Next week, I think I want to take it easy and spend more time at the house. Instead of planning one outing for every single day of the week, maybe only plan five. I could use some reading, movie, play at home, and quite time. Some days, it's good just to be still and not do much of anything. Wouldn't you agree?

First Bottle Feeding

Call me lazy or picky, but I don't like messing with bottles. Why mess with them, when I've got all the equipment?

So maybe, I've been putting off feeding Dakota a bottle of milk for several weeks now, but I figured I better feed her eventually to make sure she'd take it. I've heard of some babies refusing to drink from them and since I plan on going back to work soon -- I need to know that she can drink from it.  I can't imagine how stressful that would be, if she refused to it.

BUT she was fine, she drank from it, right away. She downed 3 ounces. I fed her 1 ounce and Trey fed her the rest of the bottle. She even burped several times.

I remember I would pump bottles for Chey regularly, in the first few weeks of her life, but that was only because she had a difficult time nursing, during that time. I don't know when I will give Dakota another bottle, 90% of the time it seems more convenient nursing her, instead of pumping.

Bay-Kota

Do you have a nickname? When Dakota was first born, Cheyenne called her little sister, Baby Dakota and I guess, that name was too long, because now she calls her Bay-Kota. Cute. Right? We'll see if the nickname sticks.

Four Weeks
We've been a party of four for four weeks, now. I still have a hard time believing I'm a mother of two. That means I'm responsible for two bodies! I'm glad Trey is here to help.

Here are some things Dakota has been up to:
- Her hair is getting darker and her eyes are getting lighter.
- She responds to my voice.
- Her infant cry is getting louder each day.
- She is still waking up, in the middle of the night for at least one feeding. It's usually between 2 and 4:30 am. We haven't had a rough night yet. Thank you, Jesus! She's had one full night of sleep. 9 pm - 5:30 am. Nothing spectacular, BUT that would be a decent schedule, when I return back to work.
- Last weekend, her umbilical cord finally fell off. A customer or employee might be able to find it inside the South Side Wal-Mart. That's where she lost it.

We Are Proud Library Nerds
For 3 weeks, we've been participating in the summer reading program and craft time at our local branch. It's a cool indoor activity that keeps Chey and I sane. She gets her kid time and I get a chance to visit with my grown-up friends. Oh, and I also get a chance to check out books and FREE DVD's. This should relieve my summer REDBOX obsession, or at least give it a break.

If you are in my area and want to join us at the library, let me know!

A Little Trip to Abilene & I Want An Air Castle at My Next Party

I wasn't sure how Dakota was going to do on our first trip away from home, but this weekend, she did great. I remember the first time we took Cheyenne to Abilene...We probably packed her entire nursery. I guess the second time around we got smarter and packed lighter. Another thing, I think it's easier traveling with a summer baby. You don't have to pack thick blankets, socks, and long sleepers. Most of the clothes I packed for her were little onsies, which don't take up much space.

Trey was scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday, but he got someone to cover his shift and surprised me, when he showed up at my Mom's house.

My niece Angelica, got to hold Dakota for the first time.

My other niece Bella is so adorable, but her momma better watch out, she's got some serious attitude and she's not even 2 years old, yet.

I want an air castle at my next party...
All the cool kids are doing it.

All the cool kids, like my nephew, DJ. While we were in town, we went to his birthday party. He turned 2 years old.

The little kids enjoyed the castle.
 
The birthday boy with Dad and Mom.

What a great trip!

And we even got to visit with Erin and her girls. I'm already looking forward to our next trip. I'm thinking I'll make one more visit to Abilene before August.

My Week in Photos

Hello, Abilene

The girls and I are spending the weekend in Abilene. Trey stayed behind, since he has to work <---- the story of his SUMMER LIFE.

This was my first road trip with both of the girls. It's a two hour drive from Ft. Worth to Abilene -- not long, but not exactly down the street. Dakota did fine. I fed her right before we hit the road, so she just napped in the car. Speaking of the car, my Ford Focus got 37 MPG on the highway. That's less than 15 bucks to drive one-way. Not bad. I hope I get 40 MPG on the way back home. I wonder if turning off the AC would help the fuel economy of the car. It's only 200 degrees outside, but I don't think we need the AC -- HAHA!
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I spent the afternoon hanging out wit my sister Natasha. Later, I went to KACU-FM to say hi to my old co-workers. I worked at KACU as an office worker and an on-air announcer, while I attended Abilene Christian University.

We had to stop by and say hi to Sandy.

And John....
I have to give Chey the photo credit on this one.

Chey drew me a picture while we were visiting. We had a great time and it's always nice to see old friends.

How to Make A Double Chin Look Good

First of all, you must have a sweet face like this...

And second, you must have a sweet face like this...

End of discussion.

Mmmm, I love her to pieces. Today, I got her hospital bill in the mail. I think it's a fair price and much more affordable than Cheyenne's NICU stay.

So, this is where we spend a lot of our time these days, it's the master bedroom. It's still an unfinished home project, BUT I met with a painter and Trey and I are going to hire him to finish what we started. I can't wait!!!!!! My dresser has been in the entryway forever. I'm ready to have my bedroom furniture, back in my bedroom.

How was your fourth of July?

We spent it with our friends at their house. Since they live outside the city limits we got Cheyenne a kid pack of fire crackers. Once it got dark, I was enjoying the show, until Dakota started crying. She hated the noise, every time a big firework went off, she would jump and cry. Do you blame her? Poor baby. I went inside, fed her and by the time I was about to pass her off to a friend, the guys were done popping fireworks...Oh, well. I can't speak for Dakota, but I had a good time. Cheyenne is a big fan of the sparklers.

Name That Compartment & Chairs that Won't Break My Neck

We are all enjoying the truck, but to be honest with you, I'm terrified to drive it. Why? Oh, because it's a massive beast. I drove it once, but it was just around the neighborhood. Give me some time and I'm sure I'll feel comfortable driving it.

We have no idea what this compartment is for...We thought sunglasses? No. Paper? Maybe. It seems like a specific compartment for something particular. Do you have any guesses?





















Family Date Night 
We had a family date night, thanks to our neighbors. They came over a few days ago and gave us a gift card. NICE! I had an adult treat, a skinny patron margarita. It was my first time to try it. It was delicious, but the portion size was definitely skinny. I had to take sips because I feared if I drank it like I'd drink any normal size beverage, it would be gone in 3 seconds.
 
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Where I Like to Spend Time
We've had our patio chairs for several years and the heat has ripped the vinyl weave to shreds. This picture was taken last summer, when they were barely started to come undone.

I couldn't find any decent chairs in our price range, so Trey suggested I use the patio chairs we already have...they actually go with a set we have on the back porch. Great idea and they actually look like they belong.

Now, I can enjoy my morning coffee, while relaxing in a chair that won't break my neck. One thing I love about this house, is that in the mornings, the front patio is shaded and in the evenings the back is shaded. Bring on the summer!

P.S.SSSSSSSSS
A picture of my girls. Sisters!

These Days

These days, the majority of my time, revolves around taking care of these two dolls.
That is Chey, wearing a tutu. Silly, girl.

Today, marks 3 wonderful weeks of Dakota's life.
This is what I've learned about her, in 21 days: 
- She's a loud eater. Homegirl pants, suckles, slobbers and gulps like she's famished -- not every time that she eats, but enough for me to notice.
- She's a good baby. Trey and I can't believe how easy-going she is. Cheyenne was a walk in the park, so we thought our baby luck had run dry, but it looks like we got the jackpot again.
- Her umbilical cord is still on. I'm starting to wonder if it will ever fall off....
- Right now, she's not that interested in a pacifier. Every now and then I'll give it to her. Sometimes she gags and refuses it and other times she'll take it. I'm sure as she gets older she'll take it more often because I refuse to be a human pacifier. Ouch to that notion.
- She rarely burps. I'll nurse her and that's that...There's no patting her until I hear a belch, which I think is extremely odd. I'd imagine, when she starts taking a bottle that'll change. But for now, I won't complain because at 4 am, when all I have to do is change, feed her, and not have to worry about patting her until she burps --- I'm all for that!
- Her active - awake time is in the evening.
- Her eyes are starting settle. They look like they are favoring a dark blue color.
- She goes through so many diapers in one day, which makes me thankful for this diaper and wipes stash. It's going to suck big money, when I have to start buying diapers again.

My Week in Photos

I've never claimed to be a scrapbooker. In fact, my idea of scrapbooking is putting 4x6 pictures in an album and calling it a day. You see, I've got the picture taking and video making thing down, but as far as organizing and captioning those photos in a book, I'm completely useless.

I figured both of the girls would appreciate documentation of their life, other than blog form, so I started working on Dakota's book and I added onto Cheyenne's. Do you have a baby book? I think my mom has mine, somewhere at her house.

I don't know about you, but our summer sleeping schedule is off. I'm more relaxed about letting Chey stay up past 8 pm, since I don't have to rush off to work/daycare. Even though, we're off schedule, I miss that consistency, so I think this week I'm going to strive to get back to our normal routine --- or at least get back to an 8 pm bedtime, for miss thing.

This week, we watched the Lion King and Dakota was fixated on the TV. At the end of the movie, I couldn't resist holding Dakota above my head as the Circle of Life was playing in the background. Cheyenne and I were laughing so hard. You had to be there....

Cheyenne getting into something, while I was strapped to Dakota.



Yesterday, Trey and I did some shopping. I shopped for postpartum transition clothes (at target) and Trey bought some work pants, from dickies. That's where he does all of his shopping for work uniforms.

This was taken at the Dickies Outlet Store in Downtown Ft. Worth.