Is it October already!?!?

My goodness, it's just getting more and more difficult to update this blog!! So much has happened since my last blog.

We had an amazing photo shoot in July when PJ was 7 months old. Granny Linda and even Maya joined us. Check them out here!

Tenley came to Nashville to see all of her old friends and meet the new babies - Payton Joy and Jackson! We spent several days catching up, eating and drinking too much, and laughing a LOT. It was wonderful to see her! She just started her PhD program this fall, so it will be awhile before she visits again. The next time I see her, she just might be Dr. Tenley Hardin!

We went on our first "family" vacation with PJ to Capistrano Beach, California at the end of August. She did amazingly well on the 4.5 hour flights there and back. I'm learning quickly that she is quite resilient in spite of frequent disturbances to her otherwise typical schedule/routine. We celebrated with our good friends, Michael & Samantha Wynns', for his 40th birthday and we got to meet their new son, Jonathan! He is 16 months old and running all over the house with gusto! It took him a while to warm up to PJ - another BABY in his house and playing with HIS toys - but after a couple days, they became fast friends. Point your browser to Ghaffari Photos to view photos from our trip.

On September 26, my eldest niece, Kristin Renee Forell, married her long time friend, Ian Miller, in Springfield, MO. Their story is such an inspiring one! They were good friends in high school and quickly became more than friends after she graduated. It was quite surreal to attend her wedding - my first niece who I've seen grow up before my eyes. What an honor and privilege it was to participate in such a special moment in her life. Payton Joy was the miniature bride, and I sang in the wedding. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Springfield, which was Payton's FIRST time in my home town. You can view wedding photos at Ghaffari Photos, too.

Lastly, here are a few photos just of PJ so you can see how big she is getting! She is 9 1/2 months old and changing just about every day. It's amazing how fast babies change! She says "dah dah", "mah mah", and "nah nah" quite regularly. She even tries to say "bah" for ball. She knows Maya is a DOG, and she knows how to clap and kick her leg! She is eating just about any kind of food these days as long as it's easily mushed in her mouth and not too seasoned. We're still breast feeding but only about 4 times a day. My baby is swiftly becoming a toddler. I love it...I love HER. She is the sweetest treasure and blessing in our lives. We love being parents! God bless you all. We love and appreciate you, our friends and family.

Payton Family Reunion (June 13 & 14, 2009)

The Payton family met for our reunion in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the birth place of my Dad and all his siblings. My cousin, Debbie Liles, coordinated the event, and she did a fabulous job (as usual). On Saturday, we met at Craighead Forest under a huge pavilion, and we ate catered BBQ and tons of homemade desserts (thank you for helping me gain back a little of the baby weight I had so diligently worked to lose!). The day was scorchingly hot and humid – good ol’ Arkansas style! It was a wonderful time of reuniting and catching up with long lost family members (and then some).

We all ended up back at Debbie’s wonderfully accommodating home where we continued to dine on leftovers (again, those darn desserts could NOT be ignored – okay, so maybe I’m a little weak).

Payton Joy had her very first experience in the swimming pool that day. She absolutely LOVED the water! Cousin Lauren was splashing around with us along with several other people.

I was putting PJ down to sleep when Debbie gave out all the awards of the weekend, but I quickly learned that Payton Joy won the “2nd to the Youngest” award. Sir Maxwell Luke Payton (son of Jeremy & Kimberly Payton) won the youngest award. They are only three months a part! I plan on putting that cute little certificate in her scrapbook!

My cousin’s new wife, Jana, offered free eyebrow waxes to anyone who was interested (she is a hairstylist by trade & I'm sure she would've accepted money if anyone had offered - ha!). Aunt Betty (or was it Wanda?) kept saying, “Once you begin waxing eyebrows, you’ve gotta always wax them because they grow back thicker…don’t do it!” But the younger folk shunned that notion since it’s totally trendy to do it these days (me included). Even Brooke Shields shapes her gorgeous brows, and she used to have REALLY thick ones, right?!?! To our surprise, several of the guys actually jumped on board! It was mostly because someone began teasing that they weren’t man enough to endure the pain…I do believe Jana’s husband, David, started the trend mostly because he’s been her guinea pig for a couple years now (you go, David!). Then Kristin’s fiancé, Ian, let her wax his…toes!?! (he’s a drummer and he plays barefoot). Brittany’s boyfriend, Andrew, got his eyebrows waxed, and acted like it didn’t hurt one iota (that’s punny). Garry’s reaction, however, was the best…he hooped and hollered like his entire forehead had been ripped off!! I guess it was the Forell family who reaped the largest benefit from the waxing episode…because Shelley, Kristin, and Brittany did it, too! I only have this picture, though, as Jana and I were posing for the camera to make it look like it was really painful (but it's not).

Sunday morning, anyone that was still in town convened for brunch at Ryan’s Eating Trough – oh, excuse me – that’s Ryan’s Grill & Buffet. We had the entire back room reserved for our group, and there were quite a few people! We took many photos as you’ll see here.

Dad was "shooting from the hip" with his camera!

Much to my excitement, my two best friends from Springfield, Chrystal and Rachel, drove into town that morning (4 hour drive) to meet up with us! I was overcome with appreciation that they’d make the effort to come see us. It was Chrystal’s first time to meet Payton Joy, and Rachel just had to get another dose of her. We went back to Debbie’s house for the afternoon and took way too many photos.

It was a wonderful weekend with my immediate (and extended) family and MY good friends. Dad and his new wife, Patricia, Stephen & Becky (with Evan & Andrew), Shelley & Garry (with Kristin & Ian, Brittany & Andrew), Cavin & Anne (with Caitlin & Coty), and Chrystal & Rachel came to the reunion…it was PJ’s first time to meet many of them, and it was very special (Amy was the only one who couldn't attend, and we missed seeing her). After driving home to Nashville, I immediately started missing all of them…wishing we could have spent more time together. We will reunite on September 26^th for Kristin & Ian’s wedding in Springfield, and I’m counting down the days until that special event!

PJ's First Cereal

Weekend of Firsts

What a fun Memorial Day weekend at the Ghaffari household!! Michael took an extra day off, so we've had four days together to just do whatever we wanted, and it was great!! But, of course, this is a blog about PJ so I must focus on her exciting weekend of FIRSTS. I was talking to Rachel on the telephone on Sunday afternoon while Payton was contentedly nursing. We did the usual side one, burp, side two, and then she was sitting on my lap sucking or gnawing on my thumb while I carried on my conversation. I think Rachel was in the middle of a sentence when I totally interrupted her and squealed out, "OH MY GOSH! I can feel teeth! TEETH!! PJ has two little teeth emerging in her lower front gums!" I was all giddy and silly and Rachel was reacting right along with me. It was hilarious! We all knew she has been teething for quite awhile since she's been such a drool baby ever since 3 months of age, so it was no surprise to finally FEEL and SEE them. I was so excited that I started prying open her mouth to see them and I think she got a little annoyed with me. HA! Payton is 5 months and 1 week old, so I believe she is right on target for her first tooth emergence (although, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a little early...she IS in the 90th percentile for everything - sheesh!).

I tried to capture a picture...now don't get grossed out!



Sunday afternoon, Michael and I attended our friend's pool party and Granny Linda stayed home with PJ (she is the quintessential grandmother who can't wait to see her grandbaby - what a blessing to have a babysitter whenever we need one!). So it was a nice little date for us and a good opportunity to catch up with some long lost friends. Well, I am a social drinker, I'll admit, so I had a few margaritas and thoroughly enjoyed myself. But when it was time to put Payton to bed, I decided it would not be a good idea to nurse her...obviously. So it was MOMMY'S first time to put her baby to bed without nursing...she drank breastmilk from a bottle instead. She did great - sailed right through it - and fell fast asleep almost immediately! It was Momma who had the hang up! I was almost in tears...mostly because I realized that she was growing up so so so fast. She's getting teeth, not needing to nurse as much, and...well, you see my point. My baby is growing up!! :-(

Every night when we go to bed, we always check on Payton and open her door for the night. When I checked on her Sunday night, she was hilariously positioned in her crib and both of her arms were out of her swaddle...so she slept most of the night that way. It was another milestone! She's big enough to not need to be swaddled anymore. Because of the danger of SIDS, babies don't use regular blankets as covers. We had a zip blanket in the back of her closet that we found, but it's too hot for summer and she's already too long for it...but I had to photograph it anyway. :-)

To add a final touch to her weekend of firsts, PJ tasted her first serving of rice cereal on Monday after her afternoon nursing session. She did amazingly well...and swallowed most of it...the whole time! I think she is more than ready to start solids but, because I'm a schmaltzy mom, I've been putting it off. She was really excited about the whole experience, and we caught it all on video! Here are a few photos from that special moment.

PJ sits in her highchair for the first time!
First Cereal

Check out the video of her first cereal above!

So there ya have it! Memorial Day 2009 weekend was quite a momentous occasion for our little Payton Joy. These moments will fly by, no doubt, but it's up to me to catch them (by blogging, photographing, recording, etc.) every step of the way! I love our kid so much...she is the biggest blessing in the world!! She just awakened from her morning nap, and Michael is changing her...then it's time for some more cereal!!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone. We love you!

Not quite as expected

I had the evening all planned out perfectly. To celebrate our anniversary last night, I was going to prepare a nice Italian dinner (lasagna and salad), serve some of my brother-in-law's homemade blackberry wine, and then present my first ever homemade chocolate pie to Michael for dessert. We had been to see the Cirque Du Soliel show a couple weeks ago as our anniversary "date" and gift to each other (tickets ain't cheap!). So it was going to be a nice, relaxed evening together at home.

Since PJ always goes to bed around 7:30pm, I put the lasagna in the oven so that it would be ready at 8:00pm right after completing our usual bedtime routine: play with Daddy, bathe, read a book, nurse, and then rock until asleep. As soon as she was asleep, I put the last minute touches on the dinner, and started to serve it up!

Then Payton started to cry. I assessed the situation and soothed her as usual, rocked her back to sleep, and went back into the kitchen. Five minutes later, she woke again. I repeated the process only this time it took 45 minutes for her to fall back asleep! At 9:00pm, I reheated the food since it had been sitting out during that whole time, poured a large glass of wine, and sat down to begin our "romantic" dinner. Then...

She woke up again!!! For a minute, I thought she was playing a joke on us. I mean, are you serious? SHE NEVER DOES THIS! Of all the nights for her to go through something weird, it would be THIS NIGHT?? Dear God, make her stay asleep!!!! Ah but no...my prayers were unanswered.

I tried two more times to soothe her back asleep to no avail. Michael finished his meal and then swapped with me so I could finish mine. By 9:45pm, Michael decided to just let her get up. Oh, of COURSE, Daddy gets to be the FUN GUY!?!? Little PJ was wide-eyed and smiley and absolutely changed my mood from COMPLETE frustration to smooshy love and adoration within a matter of minutes!

So the three of us laid on our bed for about an hour and just played and talked. Michael said, "Payton just wants to celebrate with us!" She played and cooed and giggled and stole our hearts that much more. By 11:00pm, she nursed and easily fell asleep for the night.

So my well defined plan went completely out the window the minute it was to begin. But this night made us realize that our life together, our marriage (which was the whole focus of the celebration night), isn't just about us anymore. It now includes our precious little PJ and is, in fact, what WE are all about! So here's to another three years and beyond of the Ghaffari Family!

A BIRTHDAY POEM

The day after my Momma went to heaven, my Dad greeted me when I woke up saying, "G'morning, Chip...chip off the ol' block!"...and today, he sent me this endearing, precious poem:

To the "Chip"

Christy, from day one we all seemed to know
You were a special gift from Heaven God did bestow.

You were then and still are now sooo very sweet
To wish you "Happy Birthday" is my special treat

All of our memories we know have proven you to be
the "Apple" that fell the closest to your mother, Marty's tree.

Marty and I were always of our little girl so very, very proud
to be the parents of one who always was a standout in a crowd.

"Chip" you were and "Chip" you will always be
So beautiful, and smart it is plain for us all to see.

Happy Birthday "Chip"

Your,
Dad

Here's me and PJ after dinner tonight at our favorite Mexican joint!

Easter & Payton's Dedication

We had a great day today celebrating Easter with our church family at McKendree Church. Not only that, we had Payton Joy's dedication during our church service today! Uncle Jess, Aunt Elaine, Michael's mom, Linda, and two of our best friends, Eric & Leah, and their six year old, Bella, came to support us and celebrate with us. It was so wonderful having all of them there with us!

After the service, Jess & Elaine came to our house for brunch. I had the whole menu planned but things didn't go quite as well as I had hoped. Let me preface: Michael and I went to see the Cirque Du Soliel show, Saltimbanco, yesterday for our third anniversary. When we got home, it was close to 8:00pm (Granny Linda babysat!). Around 9:30pm, I started preparing the recipes for the sour cream coffee cake and crockpot breakfast casserole for brunch. Here's the breakdown:

1) About an hour after I put the coffee cake in the oven, I discovered that the oven was NOT HOT!?!? It had preheated just fine but then just stopped heating. I was SO frustrated! I tried to bake it in our toaster oven, but it just didn't work out. I ended up with a brownie-like or a pecan pie consistency. It was still good but not CAKE!

2) The casserole recipe said to cook it on low for 8-12 hours. That's quite a differential!! I opted for about 11 hours...so when we got home, it was stuck to the sides of the crockpot. It was still edible but it sure looked funny.

3) I stayed up so late (12:30am) dealing with the coffee cake that I forgot to defrost the frozen fruit that I wanted to serve. So I ran water over it for a few minutes before serving it, which made it kinda soggy...and still half frozen.

It's a good thing Uncle Jess, Aunt Elaine, and Michael love me for who I am and not for my culinary skills!!! The entire brunch was a disaster! We had underbaked coffee cake, overdone casserole that looked strange, and soggy fruit. At least the coffee was good!!

My favorite part of the experience, however, was Uncle Jess' comment as we sat down to eat, "This reminds me of a Marty recipe/experiment!" We laughed SO HARD, and I grinned from ear to ear because I consider that a compliment. At least most of mom's food experiments were decent. And, I'm glad to have a husband (and aunt and uncle) who will eat my food in spite of its imperfections!

All in all, it was a fabulous day and a wonderful way to celebrate Easter and PJ's dedication: WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

Here's PJ's Easter/Dedication Dress!