And one more thing...

I forgot to mention that Lois had her six-month check-up this past Tuesday.  She got all her shots and took it like a champ!  She screamed, of course, but this time she only screamed during the shots and not for minutes after the deed.  I think that all that fat in her thighs helped soften the blow.  :-)  Here are her six-month stats:

Weight:  19 lbs, 6 oz - 95th percentile

Length:  28 inches long - 98th percentile 

Head size: 17 inches - 70th percentile

As you can see, she's still a chunk...but a "well-proportioned" chunk!  With her height being in the 98th percentile, her weight doesn't seem too far off.  Instead, she just looks like a nine month old.  She can also roll over on a consistent basis now - but only to the left!  And still no teeth!  She's so much fun and we just can't believe she is already six months old!  

December Happenings...

December has been flying by us here in Tucson.  We are gearing up to head to Utah next week to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.  We're excited to have Christmas off this year, since last year Jason was working all during the holidays.  On a awesome note, Jason took his third and final USMLE medical licensing exam on Wednesday and Thursday!  I'm so proud of him and he's really happy that he will never have to take another USMLE test again!  Way to go, babe!  

Here are some things we've been up to these past few weeks...

I gave Lois her first "haircut" yesterday because her hair kept getting in her eyes.  It's a pretty tough job considering that Lois cannot sit still for more than two seconds.  This picture shows her haircut - basically a quick trimming of her bangs.

Here is Lois hanging out with one of her boyfriends, Benjamin.  Love the face, Lois!

Lois all dolled up to go to church.  Beautiful dress, but I sometimes wonder... a "dry clean only" dress for infants?  That's crazy beans.

I love this face and she loves her stuffed bunny that she got from Jean and Greg Allen.   And that dry clean only dress?  It ended up getting completely soaked with her spit because she found it to be a delicious and irresistible treat all through church!

 

Lois loves my cell phone - she stares at the screen and then eats it!

YUM!  Lois has discovered her toes and eats them every time we are changing her diaper.  The rash on her face is from daddy tickling her neck...a classic case of whisker rash.  

Lois and I love to go visit all the wonderful ladies I work with at Williams-Sonoma.  Here she is with some of her surrogate "aunties" - Emily (above) and Lynn and Liz (L-R bottom).  She loves them and they all adore her!  She's become the WS mascot of sorts...

Here's Lois getting her tri-weekly manicure from mom.  Her nails grow so fast, I can barely keep up!  

I just had to add this one because I love this face!

Lois and her newest and favorite toy from Grandma and Grandpa Wright!  She loves this thing.  And despite the fact that it takes up our entire front room, we love that she enjoys it.  I fear that we're quickly outgrowing our two bedroom apartment...

Pure enjoyment...as shown by her glowing and smiling face!

Lately, we've been finding Lois doing some strange things in her crib after nap time or in the morning.  This day, we found her wedged in the corner of her crib after nap time.  Other times, we find her playing with her toys we've placed in her crib.  We have come in a few times to find that she has turned on her music to her crib mobile.  That's right.  Our baby is a genius!  

 We are looking forward to spending time with our families and friends in Utah.  We also feel especially blessed to have a knowledge of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What a wonderful time it is to reflect on the life of our Savior and to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas! We love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday full of love and happiness! 

This is pretty fun. TAG if you are reading this! To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - does kick ball count?
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - been snorkeling...scuba diving terrifies me!
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason - Thanks to my awesome Hubby!  He's the greatest.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 
65. Gone sky diving - I think I might pee my pants if I did.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - this stuff is DISGUSTING!  Delicacy?  No way, Jose.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - Thanks, Dad!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - maybe one day...
83. Walked in Jerusalem - I hope to in my lifetime.  
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible - I just can't make it through the Old Testament!  Argh.
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - Thank you, Pioneer Trek!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

An Early Christmas for Lois

Lois has been doing much better eating real food these days.  We realized that sitting her in her Bumbo was a little distracting for her, so we started putting her in her car seat and feeding her that way - which seemed to work much better.  But alas, we could not feed her forever in her car seat, so Grandma and Grandpa Wright bought this great high chair for Lois for Christmas.  I can tell she already loves it!  She loves the tray and today, she decided to feed herself some of her apples!  She's getting so big.  We go for her six month check up in one week and I'm excited to see her progress.   G&G Wright also bought her an awesome exersaucer - pictures forthcoming of this little contraption - it's pretty exciting and she loves grabbing for the toys all around her (since grabbing and eating everything in sight is her favorite past time these days!)

A Grand Thanksgiving, Indeed!

Nothing makes the holidays great like family.  Since Jason didn't have Thanksgiving day off this year, we were lucky enough to have his family come visit us!  We (especially me and Lois) were so happy that Grandma & Grandpa Wright and Uncle Nate came to spend time with us since Jason was busy at the hospital most of the time.  We ate at around 5:30 pm (so Jason could be there) - so we were all definitely hungry and ready to eat!

I cooked my first turkey this year and it turned out great!  Thanks to Williams-Sonoma turkey brine and some delicious turkey herbs, that little bird came out moist and flavorful!  I also made sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, made the favorite Sumsion jell-o with cream cheese balls, made banana cream & pumpkin pies and baked homemade rolls!  It all turned out delicious.  It was fun to host my first Thanksgiving dinner (there's gotta be some right of passage here, don't you think?) and I'm glad I could do it for my awesome in-laws!  Thanks for making the trek down here to spend this holiday with us!  

Lois is also glad that her Grandpa fixed her crib mobile this she broke with her brute force!  It's hanging above her crib once again - and Lois couldn't be happier!  Thanks, Grandpa!

Getting some love from her uncle Nate!

Love this picture - both mouths open.  You know what they say?  Like uncle, like niece!  

Fun with Grandma!  I think it's a smile!

The family at the Thanksgiving table  - except Jason.  He's the one taking the picture!

Lois sporting her classic camera face.

We had a great time! We are so grateful for family and can't wait to spend Christmas with all of you!  We love you.

Chillin' on Throne Lois

This is Lois' new favorite spot - her rocker chair.  From this throne, she sits and watches me cook or do the dishes - or will even catch some morning cartoons for a minute or two!  We think she's starting to teeth because she's always chewing on her fingers, binkies, blankets, toys...basically anything she can get her hands on!

 

Walking Sabino Canyon

Tucson has lots of wonderful trails to go walking/hiking.  Since the weather has been so fantastic, Jason and I have found a great little walking spot, Sabino Canyon.  It's so beautiful up there!  The trail is paved about four miles up and it has beautiful scenery all the way.  Lois also loves going on walks and is now big enough to sit up in her stroller and enjoy the scenery.   We love living in the desert and don't miss the snow and cold weather one bit!  We're pretty happy with our 70 degree weather.  So, if you're sick of the cold, come and visit!

Getting Bigger...

My, how time flies!  Our little Lois is already five months old and so full of life and personality.  She is becoming more vocal as the days pass, smiles and laughs a lot and is becoming more interested in toys and books.  She is such a joy and we feel so blessed to have her for eternity! Life just keeps getting better by the moment and we couldn't be happier!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the past five months.  I can't seem to get them in any sort of chronological order, so I apologize for the randomness.  We hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Three months old and lovin' her tutu...

Smiling

Four months old and loving that tongue!

Striking a pose

Could that face get any sweeter?  I mean, really.

So serious in her scrub bottoms

Still getting used to bath time - two months old

Don't you just love the dried milk around her mouth?  Showing off her baby guns...

Three-weeks old

Big yawn!

Two-weeks old

Lois and mom at one month 

Three-days old, Lois' first car ride coming home from the hospital!

One day old hanging in her hospital bassinet.  I remember just staring at her for almost an hour...what a lucky mom I am to have such a healthy, beautiful baby!

Hours old...and loving those fingers!

The cutest little monster - shy of five months

This face is the reason why it will be hard to not give her anything she asks for...

Three months...just blessed by her handsome daddy 

Chillin' in her bathrobe from her Uncle Nate - four months old

One month old

Her furrowed brow...it's been there since day one!

Two days old

Brand spankin' new - minutes old

You want me to eat what?!??

Lois has started eating some foods...I guess I should say attempting to eat some foods.  This video is mainly for Lois' fan club - aka g-ma's and g-pa's ... and uncles and aunts.  She obviously is still trying to figure out how to have food AND her tongue in her mouth at the same time.  Hopefully she'll learn soon!  :-)  Enjoy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here is Lois Ada's debut as the world's cutest monster!   I mean, come on, how cute is she?!?? 

The residents from Jason's program had a little Halloween party - as a chance to bring all the kids all dressed up.  One of the things I miss most about Halloween is having a house that kids trick-or-treat at.  I love seeing all the fun costumes!  It really is a fun holiday for children and adults alike.  Who doesn't like dressing up for fun?  I've liked dressing up since I was old enough to stand!  :-)

This is Lois and Aneesha.  Aneesha was born about a week before Lois - but only weighed about four pounds.  Needless to say, Lois is a giant next to her!  

This is Sasanka, Aneesha's mom...she's the coolest person ever and is one of Jason's favorite people to work with.  Sasanka is from Sri Lanka and really, the nicest person ever.  We're excited for our little girls to be able to play together when they get a little older!

This is who we thought Lois kind of looked like - Boo from Monsters, Inc.  What do you think?