Swinging at the Playground

Megan and Mommy went on a walk today and stopped at the playground to try out the swing. The playground equipment was nice, and Megan had fun in the swing. We tried out the slide, too (with Mommy holding on to Megan), but Mom had forgotten how much static electricity builds up on those plastic slides, so we stuck with swinging. Megan laughed each time she swung close to Mom and got a kiss.

Family Portraits

We finally had family portraits made last week. I received the low-res versions today. They are really low res, but good enough for the blog. We really wanted to get photos of Megan in her christening gown, as well as some good family shots for the mantel =). Here are the shots we liked best. Enjoy!

The Red Robin

Tonight we went to Red Robin for a Subaru dinner. To prepare for the get-together (as well as a life-long love of Subarus), Megan had to get into the Subaru spirit:


We ate dinner with Christine and Simon, and even got a visit from the Red Robin himself. I thought for sure that this would be the highlight of the evening...but Megan didn't even acknowledge the bird. How do you totally ignore a 6 1/2-foot tall red bird with a yellow beak the size of Kansas? I guess Megan was too interested in all the other goodies on the table: burgers, fries, drinks, straws, quesadillas, tortillas, etc. It turns out that Christine's keys were the tastiest item on the menu!

The Natural Habitat of the North American Screechy Monkey

This is Megan's current communication style. Mostly it's funny, but she can get really loud. We call her our little screechy monkey. Today, we catch a glimpse of Megan in her natural environment (the living room) following some naked tummy time (she has a little diaper rash that needed fresh air). We think it loosely translates to, "I want toys...I love Mom and Dad...Where's the dog...FEED ME!"

Screechy Monkey from Stacy Herring on Vimeo.

It's Great Being a Grandkid

Megan is fortunate to have wonderful grandparents! She's gotten to visit with them a bunch this summer, both in Durham and in Albemarle. Here are some photos of one happy granddaughter:

Nature Walks and Happy Naps

Megan loves going on walks. We try to walk every day, weather permitting. We like walking later in the day, before bedtime, so that Daddy can walk with us; plus it's cooler then. Usually out on our walks we encounter lots of wildlife: squirrels, birds, cats, and lots of deer.


Sometimes we bring our own wildlife. Right after Mom snapped this picture, the cat whacked Shoki across the face. =)


Now that Megan sits forward in her stroller on our walks, she can get a better view of everything around her.


Today was a particularly good day. Megan took two very good naps (2 hours each!) in her crib -- even her afternoon nap, which she almost never takes in her crib. She slept so long this morning that Daddy actually had to wake her up early. I know we shouldn't wake a sleeping baby, but we had to get to Target to have portraits made! We got some great pictures of Megan in her christening gown and of the family. In about a week, we should have some digital copies to post on the blog! Yay!

Sitting Pretty

Megan has a new view of the world these days since she's started sitting up by herself. She's got pretty impressive balance and can reach for toys, grab them, and play with them -- all while sitting up. She hasn't quite mastered catching her balance as she leans backwards, though...but after a few more topples, she'll figure it out =).

Megan Sits Up from Stacy Herring on Vimeo.

Megan in the Mirror

During this morning's playtime, Megan and Mommy decided to play with the mirror. Megan likes to look at the reflections in the mirror, but this was one of the first times that we sat in front of the full-length mirror. At first, Megan just looked around, then she started waving her arms, and finally, she worked up the courage to reach out and touch the "other" baby in the mirror.

Megan in the Mirror from Stacy Herring on Vimeo.

New Photo Page

Time to say goodbye to the boring photo album page that you've seen for the last few months. Check out the new, snazzy, and much cooler photo page! You can leave comments, see our latest blog posts, and catch a neat video. Dad and Mom like the new site because it's much more interesting and easily integrates our blog and videos. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Megan thinks it great, too!!

Puppy Love

Over the last few weeks, Megan has taken a genuine interest in Mocha and Shoki. She gets the biggest smile when one of them walks into the room, or grunts happily at them, and reaches out her arms and tries to grab them. Most of time, she gets a good handful of hair and fuzz. The dogs aren’t quite as enamored with Megan as she is with them, but they’re warming up. Shoki likes to lick Megan’s hands and Mocha likes to sniff her head and lick her face. And Mom stands by with wipes to clean the fur and dog-kisses off Megan.




Sorry, there are no pictures of Megan and Mocha -- Mocha is afraid of the camera and runs away everytime we turn it on.

New Travel Bed

Megan’s new travel bed arrived in the mail this past weekend – a few hours too late to actually use it when we traveled to Albemarle – but that was ok. We’ll just try it out this weekend instead. The travel bed is kind of like a small pop-up tent with an inflatable mattress. The coolest part of the bed is that it folds up into a little bag that’s about the size of a large dinner plate. Mom is excited about traveling with the bed, mainly because it will take up less space in the car and it will be easier to set up at our destination. Mom has been putting Megan in the bed this week to get her used to it. She likes to play in it and is intrigued by it, but we’ll have to see if she actually sleeps in it!

Updated Photos

Mom FINALLY got around to sorting through and uploading new photos to the photo page. There are about 100 new photos in two new albums. Check them out! Mom hopes to get a few more from this week uploaded today.

Also, Shutterfly is making some changes to the photo page which Mom is very excited about. The changes will take place next week, according to Shutterfly. The layout of the page should look a lot better and not so plain. So keep checking back to see the improvements!

Here's a quick preview of some recent photos:

Megan's Baptism

Megan was baptized this past Sunday. It was a very special day for our family, and Megan held together pretty well. Her favorite part was having the water poured on her head. She loves the water!!

She was just beautiful in her dress and hair bow. Mom and Dad didn’t get any pictures with their camera because they were pretty occupied with Megan – but Mom’s trying to get pictures from family to post on the blog.

Thank you to our families for sharing in this special occasion, for all that you did (and do!), and for making it such a wonderful day!

Growth Chart

As of Megan’s 4-month check-up, she weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces and was 25.25 inches long. Since that was right at a month ago, she's definitely put on a few more ounces and is probably close to 17 pounds. She sure feels like it!! She looks longer to us, too -- more stretched out and less roly poly. But still VERY cute! =)

She's still wearing most of her 6-month clothes and is into several of her 9-month outfits, too. We've also moved up to size 3 diapers.

Her next check-up appointment is in early September, so we'll have new measurements then. Megan will also get another round of immunizations and we'll discuss introducing some solid foods (probably rice cereal?) to Megan's diet.

Megan's On A Roll

Today, Megan rolled over all by herself!! She's been on the verge of rolling over for the last month and could do it while holding on to Mommy, but today was the first time Megan solo-rolled! Fortunately, it wasn't a fluke and she rolled a few times, so Mom was able to catch it on video.

Here's another -- she was a little unhappy about tummy time...

Trendsetter

So, the Herring family blog has been on a small hiatus, and I guess others are following suit...I hear Rosie O'Donnell is giving up blogging for a whole month. =) Anyway, we're back...so let the blogging begin!!!