We've had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Meredith LOVED swimming on Saturday - she really got into spashing and liked kicking and moving her arms in the baby pool.  She continued the fun in the bathtub, playing with her bath toys.

We celebrated Ben's birthday on Saturday at a Mexican restaurant, and Meredith gets so excited over balloons.  She kept saying "Ba-! Ba-!"  She knows there's more to the word but hasn't quite figured out how to say "loon" yet.  She wore a sombrero (for not very long), ate cheese quesadilla, and enjoyed all the party goers and other babies at the party. 

Meredith also learned how to say "Ooooooh" this weekend and has been saying it a lot - usually with "Uh" on the front.  She's cruising like a pro and loves walking when we hold her hands.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit this weekend and we had a blast.  The weather was gorgeous so Meredith spent lots of time crawling outside and exporing.  She LOVES being outside - she'll crawl to the front door and wait for someone to open it!  Meredith modeled some new outfits and demonstrated her excellent cruising, crawling up the stairs, pushing her Hippo walking toy, and placing the top to her bottle back on after eating.  Meredith's appetite seems voracious lately, but none of her 12-month pants fit these days - they fall right off of her!  She seems to have gotten taller but not chubbier. 

We had a great first Mother's Day as a family.  Nana made a visit to Atlanta - thank you Nana! - and we had a fun time visiting.  On Saturday Meredith had her first trip to the pool.  She enjoyed "swimming" around in her boat, and then later snuggling up in her coverup and towel and then crawling around the pool area.   Today we went to a nice brunch and Ben made us dinner later on.  Nana and I went shopping for Meredith's birthday (shhhh, don't let Meredith know what we got) and had a great time.  Meredith seems to be feeling a lot better after a cold - hopefully Ben and I will catch up soon too.  Meredith is cruising - she loves to walk with one of us on either side of her holding her hand, and she'll move from the sofa to a leg to the coffee table now.  Watch out world!

Happy Mother's Day all you moms!

On Friday daycare called because Meredith had a fever.  We took her to the doctor that afternoon because she also vomited a few times and just wasn't feeling good!  She doesn't have strep or an ear infection, and Tylenol seems to make her feel a little better.  She has certainly had some good moments this weekend, and she is sleeping well and eating, but we can tell that she is often uncomfortable.

On Saturday we bought a piano, and Meredith is already demonstrating remarkable musical talent.  (Well, it might be by accident, but she's played a key in one octave and then played the same key in the next a few times).  We also went to a Kentucky Derby party and Meredith looked adorable in her hat.  Ginger decorated the doors at her school for Teacher Appreciation week and Meredith wrote letters to her teachers telling them how much she loves them.

Meredith was such an angel this weekend and let us sleep in until after 8AM!  What a treat!

She is standing up and pulling up very successfully now, and putting everything she comes across in her mouth.  She's crawling EVERYWHERE - even places she can't quite get into, like in between the sofa and the wall.  She's incredibly active - diaper changes are a real wrestling match!

Ond on Saturday we went to 2 festivals - one at Meredith's school and one in Smyrna Village.  Meredith got her face painted in the morning - she was very still and had a lovely red tulip on her face.  Of course, when she took a nap later that afternoon, she left a perfect tulip imprint on her sheet.

z bb bnbkvnbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvxxxxxxxxzasQaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn

I wish we had pictures!  When we were out on a walk yesterday enjoying this gorgeous weather, we ran into our friends Brandon and Andrea who had just gotten a 7-week old bulldog.  This puppy was so cute!  Meredith was delighted to touch Samson (gently) and Samson licked her toes (gently). 

It all seems to have happened so quickly!  Meredith is pulling up on things that are low enough to the ground for her to have leverage and is working on things that are higher up.  I've been offering her torn up pieces of whatever Ben and I eat for dinner and she is gobbling it up - broccoli, cheese, beans, peas, chicken.  Move over, Cheerios!

Meredith made the sign for milk when she wanted a bottle - I guess we're going to have to learn sign language!