The Harriman Family: 22 Weeks

22 Weeks Old

So cold! This week we have been huddled inside trying to stay warm, eating things like chicken tortilla soup and chicken and dumplings. There was talk of snow, but all we got were frigid temperatures. Mia came this week to stay and play with us. We watched movies, and Mary Ella played and played and played. She loves her new Christmas toys and books, and it is so much fun to watch her learn and discover what she can do with them. The day after I posted her 5 month stats she started rolling over like crazy. She definetely knows what she's doing, and it is a pretty smooth motion. When she gets tired of being on her tummy she just flips right over! Now we just have to work on going from her back to her belly. A visit from Mia also equals a date night for mommy and daddy. Thanks, Mama!

Oh, last week I forgot to share a story of a new friend. So, back in the fall Brad got up one Saturday morning and gathered some acorns from our backyard. I don't know why he did that. I guess he was trying to discover what kind of trees we had back there. Anyway, he put them in a rubber tub and left it on our back porch and probably forgot about it. One day I was straightening up back there, I put the grill cover back on (he has a bad habit of leaving it off), and I shoved the acorn tub under it- never thought about it again. The other day we wanted to grill some steaks, and he discovered that something had gotten into his acorns AND decided to take up residence in our grill. There were nut shells everywhere, and there was even a nest made of leaves, hair, etc. inside the grill. Gross! Needless to say we we didn't grill steaks, but thought it was pretty funny that there was a squirrel living in our grill. Anyway, last Sunday after church I saw a tail sticking out from under the grill cover (it was on the ground again.) It wasn't a squirrel tail, and I thought "ew, I hope it's not a possum." I watched until it came out, and saw that it was a chipmunk! It was the cutest little thing! I called for Brad to come look at it, and it ran back under the grill cover. So we go out on the porch, Brad lifts the grill cover, and it runs straight into our house. I left the door open. Oops! It ran in circles in the sitting area in our kitchen, jumping up from windowsill to windowsill trying to get out. It jumped in and out of my magazine basket, ran under the chairs, coffee table, and desk. Brad and Ginger chasing it all the while. I was holding Mary Ella and laughing, and I would occassionally stick my foot out to guide it back to Brad when it tried to get past me. I finally got Brad a pair of gloves (he was afraid it was going to bite him). Ha! But he was a very nimble and quick little devil. Thankfully Brad was gentle, but every time he would get ahold of it, it would hop right out of his hand. It finally found its way back to the door and out on its own. But it was so cute! I tried to get a picture, but it was just too quick. I have seen him a couple more times, so maybe I'll have my camera ready one day and get a picture of Alvin. Until then, look at this cutie pie...

Bright eyes

Chubby cheeks

Our fountain was frozen solid

Our only outing besides church was a quick run to Walgreens.

Just another Sunday after church photo shoot with my little model...

This cute outfit was a Christmas gift from Aunt Julie.

In action

In a couple weeks there is going to be a baby blessing at our church. All the babies that were born in 2009 are going to be recognized, and the elders are going to pray for them. There will be a slideshow and a reception afterward, and I'm very excited for Mary Ella to be a part of it. So on Sunday we got the process kicked off with a baby group photo! I think there were 16 babies stripped down to their diapers. Mary Ella got to keep her bow on of course, and she was one of the big girls that got to sit in her Bumbo on the front row. It was so cute watching her look around at all the babies and listen to them cry. She did really good! She might have been flirting with the little boy beside her because she was trying to grab him. Ha! After the picture had been taken the photographer said that we could grab our babies, but I didn't want to be a pushy mom so I stayed back and let others go before me (like the ones with screaming newborns). But in a split second all the babies were gone and there was little Mary Ella all by herself. She was sitting in her Bumbo with her hands in the air looking at strangers like, "Please pick me up." She was the last one, kind of like the last kid in the car pool line. I felt kind of bad. Anyway, I can't wait to see how the picture turned out and see it on display in the foyer. What a neat idea!