Sunny and I have spent the last week in South Carolina visiting my parents. We were fortunate to spend lots of time with Nana and Pop Pop and to leave them this morning was truly heartbreaking.

While we were there Sunny and I ate everything in site, played in her baby pool, bathed in over sized rubber ducky, and swam at one of the most creative outdoor kiddie pools we've ever seen. We ate lunch out every day, Nana spoiled Sunny with fall clothes, and Pop Pop got on down and dirty on the floor in a one man crusade to teach Sunny how to crawl.

She changed so much in just one week. When we arrived in SC Sunny was pivoting in a circle, allowing me to feed her from a spoon, and not exactly sleeping through the night. During our time there Sunny learned to get up on all fours, scoot, rock, & roll over in all directions, she's mastered the pincher grip, and slept through the night, every night. My baby enjoyed the low country, her grandparents, and all of their friends. I understand why my parents love the South, I only wish that it was closer to NY.

How blessed my little girl is to be loved so much by so many, my heart is so full.

SHE CAN SCOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! MY BABY SCOOTS!

Mind you she doesn't crawl, cruise, or walk. BUT. SHE. SCOOTS.

Sorry for the cell phone pic! 

On Sunday our play group got together and Sunny was one of the only non crawlers. I think watching the other babies move on their bellies helped show Sunny the light. I am soooo proud. A little sad that Matt missed her first scoot, but I got it on video and will show him that once we get home.

South Carolina is beautiful. Being in my parents home is always eye opening. When I see a house, almost any house, the first thought I have is how do you begin to clean all of this? There is more than one room to sit in,; there are rooms for just sitting. Ahhh, the things you forget when you live in the city. 

We were lucky enough to visit Charleston yesterday, one of my most favorite cities in the world. I hope Sunny gets the diversity of the East Coast but the sass of the South. Southern women are so sassy, fresh, and tough…but they do it all with a smile. Fingers crossed Sunny is picking up on that!

And we're back!

Thanks to all of you for continuing to read, even though I took a slight detour from posting last week. We have lots to get to. 

First of all while we were in route Sunny turned 8 months old! We found a Cracker Barrel and took her 8 Month "Rocking Chair" photos in their white rocker…since we were on the road.

Our Ohio family is doing really well. We LOVE each and every one of our
adorable and big nieces and nephews. They adore Sunny and entertained
her one by one all hours of the day. She is spoiled rotten by her
Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and her girl cousins provided her with
Barbies, masks, stuffed animals, and books. They are very giving.

She's getting so big and SOOO sassy!  She tells us NO about 100 times a day. Do you want your lunch? NO. Do you want this toy? NO. And by the time we reached my sister in laws house in Cleavland she started asking for her BaBa. Mind you she likes that every time she says BaBa we jump like crazy people to go and find it, make it, grab it. I think she likes the attention that certain words…or partial words, gets her.

We headed to the Cleveland Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa and Trevor.

We also went to an indoor water park in Columbus that is AMAZING. If this water park was in NYC it would cost $55.00 a person and you would have to be  on a waiting list to get in. Matt got in the pool with the kids and Sunny. It was thrilling to see that her swim lessons are really paying off. (See below for video)

We miss our Ohio Family already and can't wait to see them again soon. Sunny and I are flying to South Carolina to visit Nana and Pop Pop tomorrow morning and we're excited for our next set of adventures. This summer is coming to an end so quickly…we were just getting warmed up!

We're on the road and have been since Thursday. We're visiting Grandparents, Sisters, Cousins and In Laws  in Ohio. On our car ride ( 10 hours with my Sunshine girl strapped down int he backseat) Matt mentioned that he hates the font I use on this blog. Well, well, well the truth comes to light. So we're trying this font, Georgia, instead.

We've been very blessed to spend some much needed quality time with Matt's family and Sunny has taken the Midwest by storm! She has even spent some of her time picking out Halloween costumes, what do you guys think of Sunny the Cowgirl? Or as a ballerina?

I'll upload some fun swimming pics and videos later. Let's just say that this weekend proved to me that my money was well spent on swim lessons this summer.  Today we are off to breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa, and later Sunny's other cousins are coming over for a sleep over. I can't wait to post all of our vacation pics, and yes we are still working with the crappy camera! BUT we looked at a new camera and I think we're getting closer to capturing the memories of Sunny's infancy with something that resembles modern technology.

Today Sunny and I headed to a park on the Upper West Side.  We met with our playgroup and allowed the babies to play in the sand and in the lazy river. Then we pulled out three blankets ( well two blankets and a sheet that I brought) and laid them all down for what turned out to be an impromptu lets teach Sunny to crawl session. I paid $40.00 for parking and we headed back to Brooklyn.

I made the mistake of opening bills. I hate bills. In my other life I'm a Production Manager where I account for my clients bills, pay them, invoice them, and move on with my life. I see numbers so large and shocking I'm often thinking to myself, this company makes that kind of money? Holy Cow. I really wish our new electricity bill belonged to one of my clients and not to us. So, this evening we hightailed it to a local bodega where we played a few scratch of tickets. I went there with the intention of playing "s.et for life" but that cost $10.00 per ticket, so I decided to go with the $1.00 games. I won $1.00 then, in the end, lost $3.00.

Matt has asked me repeatedly to thank God for the ability to pay our bills. He is right but I hate the electric company and would like to point out that air conditioning during a heat wave is not a luxury but necessity! My friend Jill likes to say we have "champagne problems." Truthfully she has champagne problems I have "Prosecco Problems." For those of you who don't know, that would be cheap champagne or really Boones Farm with bubbles.

I would now like to thank God for the healthy of my child, the brain in my head, and the shoes on my feet. I would like to also take this time to thank God for all of the new clients being sent my way and my Prosecco Problems.

Sunny has a Mohawk. It's official, it's natural, and it's sadly the pattern her hair has decided to take.

We went to Target and people commented on what a calm, attentive, focused little BOY I have.

I said thank you, and every so often would toss in a  "Yes, I love HER very much," or "Uh huh, SHE is such a good girl for her Mama."

Perhaps the best moment was when one kind woman remarked

"He's adorable."

And Sunny (in true Sunshine fashion) shook her head NO.

She says no for many things. For instance, "Do you want more sweet potatoes?" Sunny shakes No. "Are you ready for a nap?" Sunny shakes her head No. No. No. No. No.

But today was the best. Are you a little boy? NO! I'm a little girl with a Mohawk! Deal with it!

Happy Monday. We had a relaxing weekend and are hoping yours was too.

Saturday we made a return to our swim lessons. Due to a very busy summer we've missed two classes! So Saturday it was great to see some "old" swim buddies. It was my turn in the pool with Sunny, which means Matt was in charge of taking pics.

 
I would put up more photos but our camera is so terrible that I won't but ya'll through that.

All that swimming makes a girl hungry so we headed to the dinner, Sunny loves mirrors.

And on Sunday our friend Jenn celebrated her 27th Birthday…again! So we bowled. Matt was an awesome bowler, who knew? It always amazes me when he and I still have "first" and we have a baby together…cracks me up!

Anyone who would like to donate a decent HD camera to us, let me know, because this is ridiculous!

A few steps closer to walking away from her Mama, Sunny is now in her big girl car seat.

She is also choosing between becoming a Principle like her Dad….

Or a girl who eats the computer mouse.

So many decisions, so little time.

Do you see the mis-coloring in her neck rolls?

Our sweet Nana has made it back to Hilton Head and we are missing her today. 

In her absence Sunny and I are working on crawling. She scoots and reaches over her little legs very well, but she is loosing patience with staying still and constantly having me escort her around her play area. 

Oh my Sunshine. 

 

I never thought this day would come…well I did but not at 7.5 months old.

My Sunshine girl FINALLY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT IN HER OWN CRIB!!!!!!!

Last night started like the night before it, with Sunny tossing and turning in our bed, Matt and I looking at each other exhausted and sad that our little girl could not get to sleep. It finally occurred to me that maybe Sunny doesn't like to sleep with us any more. Maybe Sunny needs more room, her own room, away from her Mama and Daddy.

Matt placed her in her crib. A crib that has barely been used and still looks as new as the day we brought her home. Sunny cried, sceamed, rolled, and whined for 43 minutes until she finally fell asleep. She awoke again at 3am and I crept through the guest room into her nursery where I was rudely stopped by my Mother.

Where are you going? She asked.

To feed Sunny.

Why?

Because she's crying….again.

Get back in your room and leave that baby alone. There is nothing wrong with her, she's just crying to be crying.

You don't know her like I do…

I went back to my room slightly defeated. I stared at the monitor until she finally fell back asleep. I finally fell asleep clutching the monitor. I woke up with the sun, Sunny was still asleep in her crib, by herself, no Mama in sight.

We took this video when she woke up.

This was a big morning for us. Sunny grew up a little bit more, and I learned to let go a little bit too. I have to be the adult, I'm supposed to be strong, I'm supposed to be her mother,  and that's when I realized  that I've need her there more than she's needed me.  It's bittersweet, more sweet than bitter. I'm so proud of my sunshine girl, so grateful to her grandmother who held me back from rescuing her last night. We are finally SLEEP TRAINED. Thank you.