Amazon Trade In

Several months ago, my mom told me about a new program from Amazon called Amazon Trade-In.  Basically, you can sell your used cell phones, books, movies, games, etc. in exchange for an amazon gift card.  I decided to look into it.  I had an original iphone and an iphone 3 that have been sitting in a box forever.  I am happy to report that I am getting rid of 2 pieces of "junk" in my house and getting a $90.75 amazon gift card in return.  Woo Hoo!!!

And because every post is better with a picture of my little munchie....

{I heart}

My new shoes....

and Carol Hannah's new shoes...

Our favorite childrens' shoe store, Little Feet, had an open house today with some good deals so we took advantage!  I cannot wait until warm weather to see those cute little toes in those cute little sandals!  If you haven't liked them on facebook, head on over and do it!  They do frequent giveaways and they always have cute shoes for the little ones!

Camera troubles....

So before Carol Hannah was born, I got a DSLR camera in hopes that I could one day take pictures that don't look like a monkey was snapping shots with a disposable camera.  I have played around with it quite a bit and even tried out a few of the "priority" modes.  As it stands, I will find 1 picture that I like in every couple of hundred I take.  And that's ok.  Right after Carol Hannah's birthday, I took her outside one day to take some pics with her birthday balloons.  I was pleased with her, the balloons, the background, just about everything.  Only problem was the light.  What?!?  It was a beautiful day!  There should have been plenty of light!  Let me show you an example...

See how she is in a shadow?  I couldn't escape it.  If I turned her towards the light, I got squinty eyes.  I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong!  I decided to consult my friend/photog hobbyist, Jennifer.  She was very helpful, and gave me a quick lesson in metering.  Apparently my camera uses evaluative metering by default.  This means that it takes all the different areas of my picture and decides how to expose the picture based on this.  The problem is that because the majority of my picture is really bright, the focus of my picture (Carol Hannah) turns out dark.  Jennifer encouraged me to try spot metering.  This allows me to choose a point for the camera to meter off of.  It disregards everything else. But guess what....you have to use manual mode to use spot metering!   Argh!  It is something I need to learn anyways, but it is so overwhelming learning how all of the pieces fit into the puzzle.  I have taken Jennifer's advice and I am practicing shooting in manual.  I usually pick up the camera when Carol Hannah is engrossed in something (usually eating) and does not require my undivided attention.  Here are some of my manual mode shots...

They are not perfect, but at least they are decent!

We were outside on Monday and I realized the the conditions were perfect to practice evaluative vs. spot metering.  Here's what I got...

Evaluative metering (see how her face is dark)

Spot metering- Yay, it worked!  Notice the chipmunk cheeks stuffed with animal crackers...

I know I am not a professional photographer.  I do not claim to even be a decent amateur.  Please don't judge :)

Zoo fun

I had several days off the last week and the weather was gorgeous so CH and I decided to go to the zoo. There were only a few other people there and we had a blast! Instead of taking the stroller, we took the Smart trike and Carol Hannah thought she was SO cool riding in it. Her favorite word is kitty cat and it applies to any creature that is not a person, so she called everything kitty cat, even the sea lion! Here are a few pics from our zoo day! I can't wait to take her again! Sorry for the bad formatting...I'm publishing from my iPhone!

Baby Turns One!

It is hard to believe it, but my sweet baby girl turned one last week.  This past year has absolutely flown by.  I never knew how much that baby could own my heart.  Our lives have been turned upside down, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  This was our first picture together.  If I remember correctly, they gave me Carol Hannah to hold as they wheeled me out of the OR to recovery after my C-section.  She was absolutely perfect, weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measuring 20 3/4 inches long.  That put her solidly at the 50th percentile.  She has grown just a wee bit since then.  Here's a quick "All about Carol Hannah"
Weight: 22 pounds, 4 ounces (75th percentile)
Height: 29 3/4 inches (just above the 50th percentile)
Clothing Size:  Definately in 12-18 months
Diapers: Just moving into size 4
Shoes: 3 or 4, depending on the shoe
Words: Mama, Dada, Kitty Cat
Walking:  Has been for about 6 weeks.  She's a very skilled walker now.  No running yet though!
Teeth:  2 up top, 3 on the bottom center, and 2 molars just cut in the back on the bottom (those were NOT fun!)
Eating:  We have been on finger foods for a couple of months.  Girlie loves feeding herself and refuses most help.  Favorite foods seem to be grapes, puffs, and Apple Butternut Bake.  She LOVES her bottles and I suspect that we will have a bit of a struggle weaning.  The transition to milk is going smoothly though. 
Just a few tidbits about Carol Hannah:
-On the mornings that I am home, Daddy gets her out of the crib when she wakes up and gives her to me in bed.  We snuggle, have a morning bottle, and watch a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse until we are both ready to get up for the day.  I love those mornings. 
-She can wave bye bye (though never consistently at the appropriate times), make a variety of noises with her mouth and imitate whatever noises her daddy can come up with, and she can throw her hands up over her head when someone says "So Big"!
-Bathtime is one of her favorite times of the day.  She's not a big splasher, but will play in the tub forever!
-She's not the greatest napper ever.  She usually takes 1 nap that lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. 
-Kiddo loves an iphone or ipad.  She loves to push the home button and will do it over and over and over again.
-Her favorite toys are her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse kids chair, Smart Trike, and any baby doll or stuffed animal that she can love on. 
Carol Hannah is a great little kid.  Overall, she is such an easy going baby and is so darn silly.  Our house is full of laughter lately and it is wonderful.  She loves playing with Mama and Dada, but is also content playing by herself at times too.  She is not really a snuggler, but she will walk up to you out of the blue and hug or kiss or snuggle with you for just a second.  It is so sweet.  We have been blessed.

Baby's Faces

One Year Ago

It was exactly a year ago that I was admitted to the hospital to have labor induced.  It was a long, long day and I did not deliver until January 26.  I had no idea how my life was about to change....

My baby's birthday is tomorrow.  Wow.

Citrus Lane Sweepstakes

Back in December, I entered a sweepstakes that Citrus Lane was hosting.  It was something through facebook and I only barely remember it.  As it turns out, I was selected as the winner!  The grand prize was a $500 gift card to Giggle.  I received my gift card in the mail and quickly started shopping!  My purchases arrived last week and I am so excited about them! 

This was our big purchase.  It is a "big girl" car seat.  A Maxi Cosi Pria 70.  This thing is fancy.  It has a headrest that actually moves up and down to accommodate a growing child.  There is an entire contraption that is similar to a smaller car seat that fits inside this one for itty bitty babies.  It reclines.  Yes, I said reclines.  I am thinking that Ryan is getting our Graco that is currently in my car and I am putting this one in my car since she rides in my car most of the time. 

These are our other purchases:

-Baby Bjorn wipeable/food catcher bibs

-Dwell Studio bunny push toy (this is SO cute in person)

-Pink and orange striped pajamas

-Baby book

-Primary colors sorter toy

-See Kai Run shoes (for next fall/winter)

-Pink Leggings

-Unpictured gift for baby Sally

The $500 gift card went fast! It was a blessing though because we were able to buy our second car seat and a couple of birthday presents for Carol Hannah. 

And We're Walking!!!

She's been taking a few steps here and there, but it became official last week.  She walks about 90% of the time now.  And it is so cute. 

Disclaimer:  My child doesn't usually walk around wearing just 1 sock.  She usually wears 2. 

Just kidding.  She was on her way to the bath tub.  

Winter Cross Country Series 3k

In an effort to keep ourselves moving over these cold winter months, Ryan and I, as well was a few friends signed up for the Winter Cross Country Race Series.  This is hosted by Memphis Runners Track Club and is a series of 4 races:  3k, 5k, 8k, 10k.  The races are through the woods...trails, sticks, stumps, leaves, brush and mud all litter the courses.  This was our first time doing trails and I must admit that I liked it more than regular running. 

I was unsure what to expect with this first 3k and I haven't been running at all, so I set a very modest goal of finishing under 30 minutes.  I met my goal, finishing in 27:44 with a pace of 14:36/mile.  I am mostly pleased with my results, but I want to do better in the next race.  It is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I better get busy running!  Ryan did great.  He finished in 21:15 with a pace of 11:11/mile.  He makes me so proud :)

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my blog!  If you have found your way here, it is probably because I know you and invited you to follow the happenings of my family.  But...just in case you aren't familiar...

I am Meredith.  My dear husband is Ryan.  We have been married 4 years and a year ago this month, we were blessed with our daughter, Carol Hannah.  To say that she has been a blessing would be an understatement.  While I intend for this blog to be a record of the events happening in our lives and a bit of a personal journal, I am sure that it will be hijacked by my proud momma side and will become a forum for me to talk about/brag about/show off my kid.  Please forgive me in advance if it becomes too much. 

Twenty two feet?  Any guesses where that came from?  Ryan got it, but probably only because I have said it several times over the years.  We have 22 feet living in our house (which is not large). 

Me, Ryan, Carol Hannah = 6 feet

Madison and Sidney (the pups) = 8 feet

Butter and Stitch (the cats) = 8 feet

Total = 22 feet cram packed in our house.  Ouch!

So, hopefully this blog will be a success.  I will not be one of those that posts every day, but I will post as frequently as the events in our life dictate.  I sincerely hope that you enjoy :)