Bath time

Over the Christmas break, Aunt Sara took care of me a lot. Mommy forgot to bring my bathtub with us to Morgantown so we improvised. I washed up in the kitchen sink (after it was thoroughly scrubbed of course). This is actually a Bott tradition. As little girls, Aunt Sara and Mommy were bathed in the kitchen sink at Watoga State Park cabins. Grandpa Bott has a picture of the two of them in the sink together.

We've had a busy four days in Morgantown. It was nice seeing all of our family, but we're ready to go home. Mommy and me are exhausted. We miss Daddy. He's in Atlanta working. He told Mommy he's bringing home a gift for me. "If I'm going to be a traveling Daddy, then I'm going to be a Daddy who brings presents home," he said. I don't mind that!

Christmas bonus

I visited with Santa at the Town Center on Christmas Eve. I sure liked the fur on his coat. Thought you would like to see this photo that captured my first visit with Santa.

Christmas morning

Santa was good to me. He gave me a lot of great toys, including the one you see in the photo. It's called Gymtastics. Mommy said it's supposed to encourage me to crawl. Geesh. The lady won't let up about this crawling business. The other toy I'm holding is a giraffe to hold these funky blocks I got. They're called Peek-A-Boo blocks. They have different designs and things inside them.

Course, all the toys I received this year. Light up and make some kind of noise. I heard Mommy say something about removing the batteries. I got a lot of nice gifts from cousins, aunts and great aunts. And the grandparents and great-grandparents loved the calendars (featuring me every month) that we gave them. I didn't realize I was in such high demand. I'll have to do a photo shoot and publish a yearly calendar now.

Daddy took this photograph with his new Christmas present, a digital camera. Mommy said we'll have a plethora of photographs to choose from to post on the blog now. They were thrilled to receive that gift from Granny and Papaw. And Grandma & Grandpta Bott gave them a computer so we're really becoming a high-tech family.

We drove to Morgantown to see the Chase family yesterday. Today we visit with the Botts. Daddy and I slept in the car. Mommy said it was a stressful drive through fog and pouring rain. But Daddy wasn't feeling well and I needed my beauty sleep.

Today is our last day with Daddy for more than a week. He travels to Atlanta tomorrow for the Sugar Bowl. Those 'Eers better win. The least they could do for taking Daddy away -- so he'll miss his second anniversary with Mommy -- is come home with a trophy.

I hope you all had as wonderful of a Christmas as I did. Love, Belle

Merry Christmas!

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Mommy's last day at work will be Friday until the New Year. I'm excited to be able to spend so much time with Mommy over the holidays. We will miss Daddy though as he has to travel to Atlanta for the Sugar Bowl.

I'm excited to smell all the good food over the holidays. See the lights. And visit with relatives. I haven't been to see Santa yet, but Mommy said he'll know what to get me anyway.

Dr. Skaff's office called yesterday. The urine test they did came back negative, but I still have to have an ultrasound done.

Mommy and Daddy keep giving me fruits to taste. I'm adjusting to the taste of applesauce. I'm still not crazy about the fruits.

Love,
Belle

First taste

I had my first taste of fruit this evening. Mango. Much to Mommy's disappointment, I didn't care for it. I opened my mouth wide, ready for food and Mommy tricked me by giving me something I wasn't expecting. She and Daddy thought it tasted fine, but I didn't like it. I made a yucky face and they tried to feed me more. After five bites, I just didn't open my mouth anymore. I guess tomorrow they'll try to feed me some other fruit. I hear applesauce might be on the menu. Love, Belle

Doctor's report

Daddy and I have hung out together this week. I like that. He makes me laugh -- even when my legs are sore from shots. I saw Dr. Skaff yesterday and received four shots -- two in each leg. One was my flu shot. I weigh 17.5 lbs and am 27 3/4 inches long -- both of which are in the 90th percentile. Dr. Skaff was impressed with my development and told Mommy and Daddy I can graduate to foods with a no. 2 on them. Dr. Skaff said he whatever Mommy & Daddy are doing it's good.

I've been running a fever today and a little cranky, too. I have to return to the have an ultrasound done in the next two weeks to make sure I don't have a kidney infection. I apparently did have a UTI when I had a viral infection. I was really sick! So now I'm on antibotics. Since I'm so young and I got a UTI, Dr. Skaff has to make sure I don't have a kidney infection.

Good news. I may get two front (bottom) teeth for Christmas. They should be popping through any day now. All I want from Christmas is my two front teeth! :-)

Sleeping

I have heard that certain animals hibernate during the winter. Mommy said I must be taking after them. I've slept a lot the last week. I'm getting nearly 12 hours a night. Mommy worries that I can only stay awake for an hour before I'm ready for another nap, but I told her it's just because I'm growing. I'm such a big girl now that I don't even need a pacifier to go to sleep. Course, sometimes I just scream my head off until I fall off to sleep. I have a runny nose and Mommy said she isn't sure if it's a cold or because I'm going to cut a tooth. We expect one to come through any day now because my gums have really been hurting.

Santa's Helper

We had our first big snow last night. Mommy has had to break out my winter wardrobe, including my little Santa outfit. I'm getting pretty good at sitting up on my own. Only a little wobbly from time to time. I think I'll be gtetting a tooth any day now. My gums are really hurting and making me kind of fussy. I also have a runny nose, but that could be a cold or just the weather. I'm looking forward to seeing Aunt Sara and everyone at the holidays. Love, Belle

Big girl

I'm getting to be such a big girl. When Mommy came home last night, I was showing off by sitting up on my own. It's definitely easier to balance myself if I have something to distract me. Since I can sit on my own now, Mommy & Daddy have started putting me in the high chair to eat. I like to throw my toys on the floor and watch them pick them up. Love, Belle

Six months!

Good morning. I'm six months today. Each day I acquire new skills. Last night I grabbed the bottle on my own and held it while I ate. I'm also getting pretty good at this sitting up thing. As long as I have something to distract me, then I don't realize I'm having to balance myself. I have this picture up today because, in case you didn't know yet, I LOVE the Muppets. Mommy bought me the first season on DVD. I just laugh and laugh at them. Fozzie is a little annoying, but we really like animal. Love, Belle

Sitting Up!

I'm feeling much better now and nearly back to my old self. Although, I still felt very sleepy yesterday and slept quite a bit.
I did have the strength, energy to practice sitting up on my own. Mommy helped me sit up on the floor and kept her hands out as bumpers. When I would start to tumble, she would sit me back up. I managed to sit for a whole minute on my own without tipping over. The folks were quite proud of me, especially since I turn 6 months tomorrow. We're excited for the holidays. The tree is up. Lights are up. And there are even some presents under the trees. I'm sure my two grandmas (pictured above) will be spoiling me at Christmas. Mommy said she thinks we'll have a carful to bring home again and it will likely all be for me! By the way, in our house, we say Merry Christmas! None of that silly Happy Holidays stuff. Love, Belle

Ill

Hello all,

Belle is continuing to recover from her first illness -- some sort of virus. She was running a temperature of about 102 last week. We had to take her to the ER on Thursday evening. We didn't leave until 1:30 a.m. Unfortunately, the care wasn't that great and she had a lot of unnecessary tests run. They thought it could have been a urinary tract infection, which I guess is common in babies. So she had to have a catheter put in twice to extract urine. She didn't like that at all. She was all of sorts because it was well past her bedtime and it was too noisy for her to sleep. She also had blood drawn, a nose and throat swap. Apparently one of those tests revealed she had some sort of virus. Dr. Skaff said there wasn't anything to do other than let it run it's course. She has had some diarrhea for the past couple of days. We're hoping she's coming out of it and we'll be back to her old self.

Dedication

For those who couldn't attend, I was dedicated to God's family on Sunday, Nov. 20 -- same day that Daddy turneed 30! I surprised the family and was very well behaved while Pastor Earl walked me around the congregation. Course it doesn't hurt that I had a power nap before the ceremony. /I wasn't shy around Pastor Earl, though, because we had met on the porch of our old house several times. Everyone greeted me after the short ceremony. Then we went to the fellowship hall to surprise Daddy with a 30th birthday party. He was surprised and even happier to see he got the framed photo of Mountaineer Field. Both events went off very well and Mommy was relieved to have two major events behind her.

Holiday bustle

Whew! What a weekend. First we went to Granny's and Pawpaw's to visit the Beckners. Then we drove through snow and wind, over the river and through the winds to Grandma and Granpa's house (the Botts.) Of course, everyone was excited to see me for Thanksgiving. The saving grace over the five day bustle was the DVD "The Best of the Muppet Show" featuring Harry Belafonte.
I've had trouble adjusting to my regular routine though. I woke up again at 3 a.m. It's funny because Mommy is easily fooled into thinking it's time to get up and feed me. She made Daddy come get me and bring me to their bed this morning before she realized it was only 3:22 a.m. I quickly fell back to sleep and she took me back to my bed at 4 a.m. I then woke at 6:22 a.m. Busy night.
I keep hearing the folks talking about Christmas and putting out decorations. Apparently we're putting up our Christmas tree this evening. Speaking of trees, I continued the tradition of cutting down a fresh tree at Kings Tree Farm with Grandpa and Grandma Bott. I had a blast and thought the trees were funny.
I'm trying really hard to say something. Mommy keeps trying to get me to say hello and everyone wants me to say Ma, Ma. I nearly have the hang of sitting up on my own and can scoot about one time on my knees.
I'm getting so big that many of my 6-9 months clothes are tight on me. Mommy said she is eager to see how long I am when I return to see Dr. Skaff on Dec. 15.
From looking at the calendar, it appears the holiday bustle will continue through the New Year. Daddy won't be around much. Those dang Mountaineers! Why do they have to be so good? We're not sure where we'll be spending Christmas or New Years. But we know we will try to get around to see everyone and our thoughts and love will be with all our beloved family. Love, Belle

Getting mobile

Hello everyone. I know it's been awhile since I've written, but we've had a busy week. First Mommy left us for three days and I stayed with Granny and Pawpaw. Mommy said she missed me and I was sure happy to see her when she got home Friday night. Then we got up early Saturday morning and started moving. I saw a lot of people coming in and out of our house. I heard Mommy say she was happy we had such nice friends and family willing to help us. Mommy and Daddy sure are tired after moving and unpacking our stuff again. But I didn't cut them any breaks. I woke up at 3:30 Monday morning and wouldn't go back to sleep until they brought me into bed with them. It was my first night in the new home and it was a little strange to me. Yesterday, I showed Mommy and Daddy how mobile I am. First, Daddy left me in the bouncy chair to hang out and I almost slid right out. Daddy caught me though. Then Mommy laid me on the rug with my jungle dangling toy so she could finish unpacking the kitchen. I was squirming and moving and when Mommy came back I was using the leg of the coffee table to try to lift myself up. They don't get it. I want to sit up and move on my own. I'm getting there. Well, two days until my first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I still don't have any teeth, so I won't be eating any turkey. Speaking of eating, I gulped down an entire jar of carrots yesterday and I love to watch the folks make the sign for eat when they feed me. This is getting long. So I'll talk to you more tomorrow. Love, Belle

Sign Language

We attended a class at CAMC last night to learn how to use sign language. Mommy started signing milk to me when she feeds me. The teacher said not to confuse me with too many signs yet. So we're just going to do three to start: milk, eat and cat (since I have a keen interest in Ally now). Although Ally still doesn't have a keen interest in me. We're still busy packing. Mommy said we'll be in our new home on Saturday. And then celebrate on Sunday. Love, Belle

Missing Mommy!

Mommy has to travel to some place called Harrisburg, Pa., this week. She'll be gone for three days. I sure will miss her. In the meantime, I'll be hanging out with Daddy and Granny. I'll be sure to give Mommy lots of hugs (like I'm doing in the photo). I like to hug by grabbing someone's face with both hands and then also give kisses (a wet affair indeed!) We're looking forward to moving into our new home this weekend. And then next week we go to Morgantown to watch the Mountaineers beat up on Pitt! Yeah, 'Eers. Course, before then we will be at church and I will get dedicated. We hope you plan to join us. Love, Belle

Hello. We had a busy night. We watched some of the WVU game from Smokey Bones. Fortunately, the 'Eers won. Then we got home and Mommy got me cleaned up and ready for bed -- including giving me my bottle early again. I only slept until 6:15 this morning though. I'm growing so much. Guess it's all those veggies. I doubt I'd fit in Grandma's sink anymore to get a bath. Mommy said we will move into our new home next weekend. Daddy will sign all the papers on Friday, Nov. 18th. Yeah. More room, but it will also be a busy weekend with the dedication and all. Talk to you later.
Love,
Belle

Better sleeping

Wow! What a great night of sleep. Mommy & Daddy said they learned a new trick. I got my bath, got into my Pjs and ate my bottle at 9:30 last night -- and I slept through the night. I woke up at 7:25 this morning. So Mommy said they're going to start feeding me earlier in the night and seeing if that will hold me over. It's so nice outside today that Mommy said we may go for a walk around the neighborhood later. The picture is from Daddy walking me a few weeks ago.

We're still hoping to move into our new house next weekend. It's going to be a hectic weekend with the move and the dedication, but Mommy said it's the only time we have to move. That's all for now. Talk to you later.
Love,
Belle

5 months today!

Good morning. I'm five months old today! We're not really celebrating though. Everyone says they can't believe how fast I'm growing, but that's what I'm supposed to do.

Daddy and I had a great time hanging out yesterday. He kept doing silly things to make me shrill. I like to scream real loud and watch the folks react.

Mommy and I cuddled a lot last night. She kept trying to put me to bed for a nap, but I just wanted her to rock me.
I woke early this morning -- around 6. So everyone got an early start to their day. We look forward to seeing you all at the dedication in a couple of weeks.

Talk to you later.
Love,
Belle

Up All Night

Hello. (yawn). I'm pretty tired today because I kept Mommy & Daddy up all night. (yawn). We stayed at Granny and Pawpaw's house because the folks had a date. They went to see some movie called Murderball? Anyway, I wasn't happy about not being in my own bed last night (yawn.) I'm sure Ally missed us too. Yes, I recently discovered Ally. She rubbed up against Mommy's legs Thursday night and I grabbed her tail. (yawn). The cat cried but I did it again. Then Daddy picked Ally up and held her in front me. I liked that, got excited and tried to pet Ally's face, but she didn't warm up to me very well. Mommy & Daddy said they truly deserve the free massages they're getting today. We'll talk again soon. (yawn.) I'm off for my nap.

Hoarse

I woke Wednesday with a raspy, hoarse voice. Granny told Mommy that I wasn't acting myself so she called Dr. Skaff's office and we had to rush to the doctor before the closed the office. It turned out that I may have a bug, but more likely it's just the dry air from the furnace that is bothering me. So Mommy had to pull out the cool mist vaporizers for the house. I still didn't feel great though and spit up green veggies all night. I think I upset Mommy when I got it all over her. We did find out that I weigh 17 lbs., 2 oz. now. I've grown almost by two pounds in a month. Greg (the P.A. at Dr. Skaff's office) said I'm not fat though.

Fall

Mommy & Daddy recently bundled me up and took me on an afternoon walk to enjoy the fall weather. We walked around Malden, along the river. I have to say that the end of Daylight Savings Time has messed with my schedule. My sleeping and eating patterns were off and made me cranky on Monday. I threw a holy fit for Mommy Monday night so we didn't go trick-or-treating. Course, she didn't know that all these veggies I've been eating had me backed up a bit! Thank goodness that problem was relieved yesterday. Daddy leaves for Morgantown today for the Connecticut game. Mommy and I aren't going because it's too long a drive for one night. Daddy said we hope to be in the new house mid-month. We'll see. Talk to you soon.

Happy Halloween!

Well, I guess trick or treating is tonight. Mommy decided we'd just dress up and hand out candy at our house since Daddy won't be around to go with us. We had a busy weekend. We attended special ceremonies at the Women's Emmaus walk this weekend and visited with friends out there.

I had a spinach/carrot mix for my veggies these past two days. It's not as good as peas. It didn't go down very well. So Mommy said I wouldn't have to eat spinach again anytime soon.

I overheard Mommy & Daddy saying how fast I'm growing that they'll have to buy a new car seat soon. I'm about to exceed the length requirements. No wonder it's getting so snug in that seat. I tried to tell them I'm uncomfortable in that thing!


I don't return to see Dr. Skaff until Dec. 15. That's good news! Mommy & Daddy hope that we'll get into our new house before Nov. 20 (my dedication) so that they're not stressed with too much going on in one weekend. Talk to you soon. Love, Belle

Happy Halloween!

Toes are good!

Well, I've been trying for weeks now and I finally accomplished it! I got my toes in my mouth last night. Boy did they taste good. The big toes is especially tasty! Mommy says I should enjoy this flexibility now because when I grow up it won't be that easy to pull my leg up.

I had a good night last night. I've been sleeping well again. Aunt Grace watched me this morning since Granny is sick. We hope she feels better soon. We'll be home again this weekend. Mommy & Daddy said they can't wait to take me out to a special ceremony at the Women's Emmaus Walk this weekend. Whatever that means. But we visited with some friends out there last night. I did okay visiting with people until I got tired. Pawpaw kept lifting me up in the air and that made me laugh for awhile. We hope you all have a good weekend too. We'll talk to you soon. Love, Belle

Continue to grow

My latest trick (that Daddy taught me) is to blow raspberries. It's not that hard. Sometimes I get spit all over my face, but Mommy promptly wipes it off. I don't know what the big fuss is over it, but it sure makes everyone laugh, especially Pap.
Yesterday, Daddy fed me the rest of the zuchinni and I spit it everywhere when I blew a raspberry. As you can see from the photo, we haven't mastered eating with a spoon. A lot of the food still ends up on my face!
Grandma & Grandpa Bott came to visit last night on their way home from FL. They had a nice vacation and brought me a gift. I won't see them again (unless they come to visit) until Thanksgiving day when the Mountaineers play Pitt. Go 'Eers. Talk to you later. Belle

First snow

We returned from Morgantown today. What a trip! Can you believe it snowed in October? I got to see my first snow. Mommy didn't take me out in it, though, since I didn't have a snow suit or very warm clothes with me.

I got to hang out with Mamaw & Pap again and visit with Aunt Dee, Aunt Barb and cousin Jenny.

Yesterday, I had my first taste of zucchini. Mommy just keeps finding new green veggies for me to try. I just love eating from a spoon.
Pretty soon I should be able to sit up on my own. I don't quite have the balance thing down yet.
Today, I'm home with Granny and Daddy and helping Daddy write his articles. He had a scary flight through the snow and ice from Pittsburgh to DC. His flights from DC to Newark were canceled so he didn't go to the Big Apple. Hope everyone is doing well. Love, Belle

Keep 'em on their toes!

Hello again,

It's fun to watch Mommy & Daddy drag themselves into my bedroom at 4 a.m. Their eyes are barely open and they try to smile, but I know they really wish they could sleep. I thought maybe Mommy would feed me early, but she just changed my diaper and rocked me back to sleep. I gotta do something to keep them on their toes!

Daddy is staying home with me today, so I'm sure we'll play some video games. As you can see from the photo, I like playing Daddy's football game.

Mommy & Daddy said they want me to be good this weekend and take lots of naps so they can pack. We hope to move into our new home soon. Repairs are taking place now and Mommy & Daddy finished the loan paperwork last night. We hope to be in the new home before my dedication on Nov. 20. By the way, I hope you'll come to church with us that morning.

Have a good weekend. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again. We're headed to Morgantown on Monday and Tuesday. Mommy has meetings and Daddy has to fly to NYC on Tuesday. I hope he brings me back some bling, bling from the Big Apple!

Won't see FL

Well, thanks to Hurricane Wilma, Mommy & Daddy said we won't get to go visit Aunt Sara. But my crazy grandparents went ahead and drove down to see her. We're praying God will protect them and all the people in FL from this hurricane.

I have now had my second helping of another green veggie... green beans! They're not as sweet as peas so it took awhile for me to warm up to them. I'm getting this eating with a spoon thing down pretty well now. Granny and Mommy still won't let me hold the spoon on my own though.

Since we'll be home this weekend, Mommy & Daddy said they'll take me to my first WV Book Festival. We hope to find some good children's books at the large book sale. I like to hear stories. Last night, Mommy read me Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree." I like his crazy poems too.

Well, that's all for now. I'm off for a nap. By the way, hope you like the picture of us in Watoga Park. That's after we found my first letterbox. We'll be doing more of that, my parents say, when I can travel better and when Daddy's actually home for a weekend.

Peas are yummy!

Belle tasted her first solid food on Sunday. She had about 6 baby spoonfuls of peas. Surprisingly, she didn't make any funny faces and appeared to be enjoying the food. After a couple of bites, she started to open her mouth for the spoon. We will try peas for a couple more days and then move onto another green veggie. Dr. Skaff told us to start her on green veggies at lunchtime.

Shots

Belle was not all smiles after her shots yesterday!

Well Andrew and Belle waited for more than two hours at the doctor's office yesterday. I had to travel to Pocahontas County for work so I missed this appt., which is fine because Daddy got to be the bad guy this time!
So she now weighs 15 lbs. and 4 ozs. She gained 2 lb.s 2 oz., but she only grew by a 1/4 of an inch. She is now 25 1/2 inches long. She got two shots in her left leg yesterday. Andrew said she cried so hard her face turned red/purple. It broke her Daddy's heart.
She has been cleared to take her first flight next week. We'll be traveling to Tampa for the SF game. Belle will get to visit with Aunt Sara a bit. Dr. Skaff told Andrew his secret anecdote for flying: (read in a Lebanese accent) "You give her a little bit of Benedryl and she sleep through the whole flight.") Andrew is skeptical, knowing how stubborn Belle is. She's like her Daddy in that regard. :-)

Our bee

Belle was pretty fussy yesterday. I think the gums are bothering her. She goes to the doctor tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. She'll receive four shots. According to the AAP guidelines, she's a whole month ahead of schedule. She can rollover both ways and holds her head up very well. I've posted the latest Belle creation.
Richard is very clever. We appreciate all the great photographs he takes.