Update

Things are as busy as ever with little Nita. She's quickly acquiring some essential life skills. She can now wriggle out of a lap, grab interesting items near her face and put them in her mouth, and fuss convincingly about nothing at all. It's fun to watch her learning. She still hasn't rolled over, but it's not for lack of trying! At about 17 pounds, she's got a lot of weight to move... so we'll just have to be patient.

A few weeks ago, we had Nita's baby dedication at church. (For you Catholics and Presbyterians, this is the Baptist equivalent of a christening or infant baptism.) My grandmother's wedding dress was made into a baby gown, and Nita was the first great-grandchild to wear it! It was beautiful, very royal-family-esque. Our church was pretty impressed with family attendance - we're so fortunate to have family members who really want to be around for special events and can make the trip. Thanks guys!

Nita is also making a few friends. Addison and Kate are only a few weeks younger than Nita, and their moms are friends of mine. We've also been to little Ellie's first birthday party, cousin Corinne's second birthday party, and tomorrow we have a swim date with Shelby (10 months) and Turner (20 months). I'm so glad to be able to hang out with some mom friends... it has been quite a transition from the work scene.

We have picked up one funny/bad habit lately (besides NOT sleeping at night) ... Nita thinks coughing is hilarious! Not a polite 'hmm-hmm' cough. I mean a hacking 'just sucked some potato chips down the wrong pipe' cough. Sam does this on purpose to get a laugh, which is fine. I'm just hoping that she doesn't end up cackling at a scared peer who has just gone under water accidentally. That could definetley send the wrong message and cost me a few mommy friends.

Here are a few pics:

...and I'll have a side of fried pickles and a sweet tea...

Being naked is fabulous!

A little more personal space if you please.

What do you need to know about Nita?

Nita is three months old now (give or take a week), and she is certainly figuring life out . She is quite adept at exerting her will in any situation. And she is as cute as ever! Here is some general info:

Aliases: Nita Pita, Sugar Bunny, Sweet Potato, Chicken Nugget, Butter Bean

Hair: dark brown, curly, falling out a little

Eyes: still blue

Favorite time of day: bathtime

Favorite game: how many fingers can i put in my mouth?

Favorite person: that baby in the mirror

Favorite place: patio swing

Favorite leisure activity: watching ceiling fans

Favorite outfit: birthday suit

A friend of ours, Tricia Butts, took some pictures of Nita for us. Thanks, Tricia! Here are a few of my favorites...

Beachy Keen

After a week in Gulf Shores, my head is filled with corny beach puns... you know, everyone likes to think up a 'unique,' clever name for his or her beach house. I do not think this practice is clever or amusing - just bothersome. Here are some of the worst:

Seas the Day
West Palm Peach (this one was, of course, painted peach)
Conch Out

and my favorite...

Mullet Over

No, thank you. I'll not live in a place named after a redneck hairstyle.

Just Beachy

This week the Hardins, Skinners, and miscellaneous others have been vacationing in Gulf Shores, AL. We've had a fantastic time! Above are some shots (mostly of Nita) from this week... more to follow.

Photos

These first few pictures are of Nita practicing sitting up. I think she still has a little ways to go, but she enjoys trying.

The Nita Gus dynamic

So now we have a little girl and a dog. We weren't sure how Gus would react to having a new center of attention around the house. Would he be depressed? Would he be aggressive? It was an unknown to say the least.

I'm thankful to say now that the little guy has handled himself extremely well. When I first brought him home from being boarded, he didn't even know she existed. She was there, but it was as if Katherine was holding some inanimate object. A few hours later, Nita cried all of a sudden. Gus popped up with a look as if to say, "What is making that noise that's waking me up and can I smell it?!" He checked her out real good, supervised of course, and apparently gave his approval. He'll sneak in a lick here and there, let his ears cover her face, and one time he laid his favorite toy in her swing with her. Yeah, I've got a pretty good dog. I guess the real test is when she tugs on his ears (there's not much of a tail to pull).

I don't think there's a hint of jealousy in him.........

I promise I didn't set this up

Baby's First Road Trip

For Mothers' Day, Sam and I wanted to introduce little Nita to the only set of great-grandparents whom she'd not yet met. Sam's mom's parents, Pete and Eva Duke, live in Nashville... so we set out on our first road trip together! It went well (despite a little fussiness). Here are some pics from the weekend:

Rocking with Grandma (this is how 89% of the stay in Nashville was spent).



Snoozing on the couch... check out those slippers!


Nita and Grandpa hanging out in their PJs on Saturday morning

Bonnie smiling at Nita smiling at Bonnie smiling at...

On the way home from Nashville, we stopped in Tupelo to wish the Skinner mothers a happy day. Nita was the star of the show once again.

Four generations - what a lucky little girl!

Time is Flying

Little Nita is four weeks old today and what a joy she is! She seems so aware... like she can understand what you are saying to her. Her attitude is more grown up, too! She likes to be held sitting up, so she can check everything out. And she loves to be talked to.

I'm doing well too... just generally sleep-deprived. My memory is failing, my vocabulary seems to be deteriorating, and I can't concentrate as well as before. But, of course, it is worth it. What was life like before this little blessing? Hmmm, I can't remember.

Here are some pictures from Easter:

And here are a couple we took today...

Check out this smile!!!

Pictures, as promised

Okay, I realize that it's been way too long for me not to have posted any pictures of little Nita Hardin.... here are a few.

Here's the last pre-Nita picture of Sam and me.

Look at that proud Daddy!!

Welcome little Nita Hardin.

Did you miss us?

Hi, everyone. Katherine here after quite a long hiatus from blogging. The need for posting info about our day to day lives seemed to dwindle once we moved back to Mississippi and face to face contact with most of you was once again possible. Anyway, we're back as you can see with a new, improved look.... Thanks, Laura Tomlinson, for the cool page. I love it!

So, hopefully, our blog's makeover and our recent exciting news will be enough to motivate me keep up-to-date information out there for all of you. Exciting news? Yes, that's right! If you'll note the little darling whose picture is featured at the top of this page, you'll have a clue... little Nita McKinley Hardin was born last week!!! April 9 at 7:32 am, she weighed in at 7 lbs. and 12 oz. and meausured 19 inches long. Wow.

I'll will post updated pics as I get them... she's changing everyday!