Shannon’s World

Mike posted the non-preppy version on his site…I’m partial to the preppy version! Get this girl some tretorns, a sweater to tie around her shoulders and some argyle!

I hope my cousin Garrett sees this post, he often has not one, but two collars turned up because he’s just that cool!!

I was so excited to finally put this dress on Libby. I bought it in Atlanta last October, before I knew if we were having a girl or a boy - it was too cute to pass up! After getting Libby dressed and telling her the story behind the dress, I propped her in the corner of our chair-and-a-half and started snapping away. Libby started to lean over and I kept snapping pictures!

I love the fact that Libby has a smile on her face throughout this whole sequence. She is such a good baby - no matter what happens or what we throw at her she takes it in stride and with a smile on her face. I was talking to my Dad on the phone the other night and he told me Mike and I should not have more kids because there’s no way we’ll get another baby like Libby!!

My friend Deanna sent me an email about greetingsbygrant.com and I love everything about this website. Grant is a little boy that was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum, a rare birth defect in which the structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain (the corpus callosum) is partially or completely absent. His condition caused developmental delays, making learning to walk and talk a challenge. He began intensive physical, occupational, developmental and speech therapy at age four months. With unrelenting determination he finally walked after his second birthday. He learned to communicate in baby steps – first with sign language, next with a voice output device and, finally, with words.

Doctors at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis added autism to his already full plate at age four. But that was small potatoes next to the diagnosis that came in April of the same year. A life-threatening infection caused dangerously low blood counts for Grant in the winter of 2004. Tests and specialists couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. On April 16, the answer came – acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After over three years of chemotherapy, Grant beat childhood leukemia. Despite the roadblocks, Grant sees the enchantment and wonder in everything around him.

Grant is an amazing artist and his works of art have been used to create clothes, notecards and totebags. I see some onesies in Libby’s future and hopefully some notecards in my future… I am a big fan of the “always stand tall” giraffes and “friends stick together” elephants.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there, especially my Dad, those who have been like a Dad to me and to Mike who is an awesome Dad to Libby.

I am so behind on my posts! About two weeks ago, Libby started getting a little more flexible with her hands. She is now able to shake a rattle and occasionally has been able to pick the rattle up herself and shake away.

We also started using the bumbo chair a few weeks ago and it is a great thing! I sit it on the kitchen counter while I am cooking and Libby loves to watch what I am doing. We also use the bumbo when she is watching Baby Einstein videos - she strength trains while she watches her shows.

I should have called this post “Three New Tricks” because Libby rolled over this week. I’ll post pics soon. Now that I think about it, I could have called this post “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (ha! I crack myself up!)

I love Method cleaning products; we use their pump soaps in our bathrooms, the french lavender all purpose cleaner for counter tops and general cleaning and Mike uses their car cleaning soap to wash cars. I recently tried their baby detergent and I L.O.V.E it. (1) It has that great baby scent (and I didn’t find that with dreft) (2) it’s high efficiency detergent so it doesn’t mess up our new washing machine (I couldn’t find HE dreft) (3) the company is environmentally friendly: the detergent is a concentrated formula, so it contains less water and requires less water to rinse clean which means it comes in a smaller bottle and that equals less waste. The package itself is also made of 25% post consumer recycled plastic.

Last Saturday, our good friends the Jackson’s stopped by our house for a visit. They were traveling home to Ohio from St Louis and we just happened to be on the way. We had a great visit (although it was too short) and enjoyed showing them our house and introducing them to Libby!

The Jackson’s brought Libby a set of books that Libby is fascinated by. They’re called finger puppet books and she loves them! Here’s an example of one.  So far we’ve read at least one everyday!

While the Jackson’s were here they got Mike and I up to date on all the latests sports, particularly Cleveland sports.  We did not know that at the time, the Cavs needed one more win to get into the NBA Championships . . . between dinner, baths, and putting Libby to bed there’s not much time for recreational tv!.  GO CAVS and GO INDIANS!!

We are excited because Mrs. Jackson and my Mom are coming back for a visit at the end of the month.  I am sure Libby, Mrs. Jackson and my Mom will read lots of books while they are here.  Afterall, my Mom and Mrs. Jackson met working at a bookstore!