Last week, Millie Janalee and I joined most of my family for another Gatlinburg vacation.  In case you haven't noticed, Millie Janalee and I don't miss many opportunities for a road trip!  She's such a great traveler, and I always enjoy her company!

On our first full day in Gatlinburg, we celebrated Millie Janalee's seventh month of life with a yummy breakfast at Pancake Pantry in downtown Gatlinburg.  If you have ever gone to Gatlinburg and not eaten at Pancake Pantry at least once...if not multiple times...I cannot even know you!  Unless, of course, you promise to eat there on your next visit.  There is no comparison to the Pancake Pantry in Nashville.  That is what I call the "faux Pancake Pantry."  The real Pancake Pantry is and always has been in Gatlinburg, where it originated.  One of our waitresses (because we ate there three times) had been there for 10 years...and that makes her one of the "new girls."  I love that!  If you ever need suggestions on what to order, we can probably help you out.  I get the Silver Dollar Pancakes or the Swiss Chocolate Chip Pancakes.  My mom loves the Peach Delight.  My sister always orders some healthier version of a pancake...which she swears is delicious.  My dad and Russ rarely order the same thing twice, so they are obviously not very picky.  As a child, our favorite was Bears in the Snow...pancakes shaped like teddy bears covered in powdered sugar with buttons made out of M&Ms.  We later learned only children can order those.  My sister was mildly devastated.  All that to say...it's one of our favorites and a MUST for every Gatlinburg trip.

"Let me get this straight.  You eat THAT, and I eat oatmeal and carrots?"

After our first breakfast/lunch at Pancake Pantry, we strolled the downtown Gatlinburg area.  Millie Janalee and I decided to give Russ a scare since he wasn't with us.  We took pictures on the display Sky Lift seat acting like I was taking her up the mountain.  This is something we both have talked about and it scares us to death to think about taking a child up the sky lift with no harness or strap!

"The sky lift goes HOW high?!"

Russ was not amused.  His text said, "If y'all go on that thing, you better hold on TIGHT to her.  I don't like this."  When I told him that she loved hanging over the rail by her arms, he replied "Not funny."  Poor Daddy!  Out of the loop and out of control.  Haha!  I informed him that she did not ride the sky lift and he followed up with, "Whew! #overprotectivedaddy"  Bless it!

"I'm brave.  Let's GO!"

The rest of our day was spent leisurely browsing the shops and enjoying the mountain air and music!  PawPaw and Millie Janalee enjoyed some grandfather/granddaughter time in the rocker listening to "pickin' and grinnin'" while the rest of us shopped around.  There's just not much as relaxing as a real mountain rocking chair and bluegrass music.  We all joined them after awhile and enjoyed some music ourselves.

We ate supper at The Peddler, another spot we like to frequent while in Gatlinburg.  We enjoyed steaks, salads, potatoes, and yummy desserts before heading back to the condo.  Our schedule during this vacation was much like our schedule has been on our past mountain vacations.  Relaxed.  Late mornings.  Early evenings.  Lots of lounging and family time.  Lots of eating.  Lots of memories...some we'd rather forget I'm sure.  Ha!  As is always the case with this family.  By the way, I've had people ask where we stay when we come to the Smoky Mountains.  We've stayed several different places over the years.  We've been going up there since we were little.  The last two times we stayed in Tree Tops Resort...once in a stand-alone unit and this time in a condo building...both with balconies.  Russ and I stayed in a hotel downtown when we went.  It was within walking distance to everything except the mountains.  Great for late night apple cider runs or downtown walks.  It was Hilton Garden Inn.  Several years ago, we stayed at Park Place condominiums...also near downtown.  All have been great, cozy, and affordable.

Our second day in Gatlinburg, we decided to try something new.  As many times as we have vacationed in the mountains, we have never gone to the aquarium.  We usually spend lots of time actually up in the mountains driving around, hiking, or taking pictures.  We always had the mindset that we could go to an aquarium anywhere.  But, I must say, it was delightful!  And so fun with Millie Janalee!  I hate Russ couldn't experience it with us.  It's actually a perfect rainy day activity if you want to make that note.

Lee and Kristin

The story behind the aquarium stems from Lee's obsession with fish as a child.  He had a full out aquarium and fish.  He LOVED fish.  And still does I noticed.  Maybe they should invest in an aquarium since Kristin is allergic to all other animals.  He was like a kid in a candy shop looking up close at all the fishies. 

Mama and Millie Janalee

I had full intention of strolling Millie Janalee through the aquarium with the notion that she could care less unless there were bright lights or something.  And she was content to do the same.  But, I couldn't help myself.  Soon after we started walking through the aquarium, I couldn't wait to get Millie Janalee close to the tanks and see her reaction to the fishies.  She LOVED it! 

I fully expected her to take a nap while we were there too, but she would not think of it.  There was too much to see, and it was too fun!  She talked to and waved at every tank, fish, coral, and diver.  Completely infatuated with each tank and fish.  Again, I'm sure she's soaking it all in just adding to that little noggin full of knowledge.  I wonder if she will be a fish enthusiast like her Uncie Lee.

Mama and Millie Janalee looking at the bright fish tank

She just talked and talked and waved and waved at these fish!

Trying to catch the bright colored fish

So many fish, and such a little girl!

Up close and personal

At one point in the aquarium, you are led to a moving sidewalk type thing that takes you through a tunnel in a HUGE shark tank!  There were sharks and other fish swimming beside and above us.  I'm terrified of sharks and seeing them up close like that was a bit freaky, but Millie Janalee wasn't scared at all!  Ha! PawPaw held her up close to the sharks and their mouths and pointed to them all as they passed by.

"PawPaw, are you trying to feed me to the sharks?"

"Whoa!  Look at those teeth!"

"Ummm...PawPaw.  I'm not sure about this."

Susu jubilantly finding out the schedule for dives in each big tank.  Ha!

At the end of the tunnel through the shark tank, you are led to a super fun kid zone where kids are allowed to pet sting rays and enjoy all kinds of hands-on fun!  Who says the kid zone is just for kids?!  Now that Millie Janalee is here, I have an excuse.  But, Uncie Lee and Auntie Kristin don't.  Ha!  Not that this family has ever needed an excuse for something fun.

Mama and Millie Janalee inside the fish tank!  Swimming with the fishies!

"I think I can...grab it!  Hold on, Mama, it's right there."

It was a tight squeeze for Auntie Kristin and Uncie Lee!

Fishie faces!

After we finished swimming with the fishies in our tiny little kid spaces, we kept playing around in the kid zone.  Uncie Lee told Millie Janalee all about the fish and what kind he had as a kid.  She was very into it.  Just as she always is when someone is talking to her about anything.

"Uncie Lee, which fish did you have?"

"Oooooh!  Those are pretty ones!"

Susu did what she does best.  Finds something quite interesting and goofy to do.  I hope Millie Janalee has her same zest for the goofy.  I'm thinking she already does!  Ha!

"I'm ready for my dive, Susu!"

We soon found a diver feeding the fish in one of the big tanks, so we stopped to watch her and listen to the lady talking.  Well, I didn't really listen.  I was more concerned about getting up close so Millie Janalee could wave to the diver.  And, of course, get a picture.  You know that's always on my mind.

"Hello!"

The rest of our aquarium experience was packed full of grandparent fun and lots of serious ocean creatures.  Like make me want to stay on land creatures.  I've never seen jellyfish that huge...

They're everywhere!

"Susu, will we see those at the beach?"

Or crabs this gigantic...

"So, do people eat those crab legs, PawPaw?"

Millie Janalee explored every fish tank she saw...until those little eyelids just couldn't hang anymore.  We fell asleep at the stingray exhibit.  Such a trooper!  The only thing she missed was the penguin exhibit.

"You sure you won't drop me in there?"

Shaking hands with a ginormous stingray

While I got Millie Janalee settled into a nice nap nest in her stroller, Kristin and Lee continued their exploration through the aquarium.  Lee may have been teaching Kristin all about the fish and telling her the names of all his.  Who knows!

When I got Millie Janalee all snuggled in, we continued on as well.  When we turned the corner, we found Kristin and Lee.  In the exhibit with the penguins.  Actually they were in the middle of watching two penguins making out I think.  Ha!  Which brought us to the whole discussion on how penguins mate for life.  So sweet.

It was a wonderful visit to the aquarium!  Well worth the price of admission...especially since Millie Janalee was free.  Ha!  We finished our evening with dinner at Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge.  This may be Kristin's favorite restaurant.  And, I will agree, it is delicious!  Home-cooked food with generous portions and sides served family style.  Located right by the historic old mill.  Millie Janalee put on her usual comedy show during dinner.

Her head slowly lowered over time until it was time to pull out Barney on my iPhone.  She probably could have taken a nap at any minute.  But, she would never want to miss out on anything.  Ha!

Part one of our Gatlinburg vacation was perfectly fun and relaxing!  A great beginning to a great week!

Little Mini Teen

I have seriously sat  at my computer and smiled bigger and laughed harder at these pictures than any other pictures we have taken of our sweet girl.  They crack me up!

If you've followed our blog for many years...or any length of time really...you know that we come from a small town.  The best way to grow up, in my opinion.  Sure, it has its annoyances and tattletales growing up and everybody in everybody else's business.  But it also has a town full of people who see you broken down and pick you up, call your house making sure everything is okay because they drove by and saw lots of cars, call you by name around town (You know...like Cheers...where everybody knows your name!), have your drinks ready when you enter the restaurant because they already know what you want, act as your parent in the ER when yours are out of town, come together during a tragedy, and join together joyfully in the best times.  Small towns are full of people who love you because they know you.  Like, know you for who you used to be AND who you have become.  Russ and I have always wanted to and prayed that the opportunity arises to return to that small town.  Or at least close to it.  Of course, both our families are there...so there's that too.

I used to take college friends home and they would say things like, "Does EVERYBODY know y'all?" or "Every restaurant is named after a person!"  I never noticed.  But, yes, it's true!  When Millie Janalee was born, one of our favorite restaurant owners gave her the most awesome gift!  I have been so excited for her to fit in it, and today was the day! 

She's running toward a chicken strip salad and sweet tea from Cafe Mike's!

I dressed her for Russ, and I couldn't wait for him to see!  Then, I stood my baby girl up to check out the whole ensemble when it hit me.  She looks like a mini teenager!  With those skinny jeans and Ugg boot lookalikes!  Oh my!  This was too much.  And she ate it up!

"Let me show you how I strut."

I don't know if it was the whole "look" or what, but every time I stood her up...she leaned all her weight on one leg and cocked one hip to the side.  Her little right Ugg lookalike turned in.  Just like a little junior high girl hanging out with a group of friends and little seventh grade short boys.  Because everyone knows seventh grade boys are shorter than all the girls at that age.  Ha!

When I went back to look at the pictures and decide which one to send to Mikey, I cracked up!  Millie Janalee looks like she was on the runway!  I'm laughing just thinking about it.  Maybe you had to be there, but it was the best.  And these are some of my favorites ever.  She ran down the catwalk, turned her quarter turn, and showed off the back of her outfit.  Priceless!

Bless her heart.  Her jeans were much too small, but too cute not to take pictures.  She probably felt like I do when I try to sit down in my jeans.  Ha!  It's time to stop asking the hubby for an M&M Blast on his way home from work.  I digress.

I seriously got a glimpse into the years to come.  This time is flying by too fast and my baby girl is gonna grow up.  Maybe she'll have the Peter Pan philosophy like my brother did and never want to grow up.  That sounds great to me at this point!

My all-time favorite!  That grin is THE BEST!  Drool and all.

Maybe in a few years, Millie Janalee will take her little teenage self to Cafe Mike's for dinner before the ballgame or before the high school play like we did so many times.  And if she does...maybe I'll be that mom who comes running in to show her this picture and embarrass her in front of all her friends.  Maybe I will. 

"Mama, do you think Uncie Bucket will take me to play darts at Mike's?"

No matter how old this girl looks or gets...she's my favorite girl in the whole world!  And, I'm pretty sure she knows it.

Seven Months

"Are you serious?  Seven months already!?"

Last week, we celebrated 7 months with this sweet angel baby!  Millie Janalee and I were in Gatlinburg, and we celebrated with a delicious Pancake Pantry breakfast! So sorry Russ couldn't enjoy that with us.  It's still so hard to believe it has been over half a year!  Seven months!

"Oh, this is gonna be fun!"

This last month has brought so much fun and JOY!  Millie Janalee's little personality just continues to shine...and make a joyful noise!  Ha!  I swear I have never met a happier baby.  I know all of your babies were just as perfect.  But, since this is my blog and all, I'll just say...she's pretty special.  And she knows it.  I wonder whose fault that is...

Millie Janalee is still wearing 6 month clothes for the most part.  We've snuck a couple of 9 month outfits in there, but I think they run small.  If it weren't for her length, she could probably wear 6 month clothes for a while longer.  And she's wearing size 3 diapers now.  Let me think of some fun milestones we have hit this past month.  We survived the "Christmas hangover," and she's rolling all over the place these days.  We never know where we will find her in her crib when we go to pick her up each morning.  She covers all sides and corners.  Haha!  I guess I can officially call her a full time sitter now.  Although, she doesn't get into the sitting position by herself.  And she will occasionally fall over.  Millie Janalee loves her toys...but not as much as a big crowd surrounding her or a big camera flash pointed toward her.  It cracks me up how much she loves being the center of attention.  God bless her kindergarten teacher!  We laughed last week that she would go to school and say, "Hey everybody!  I'm waving my arms.  Why aren't you all looking at me and cheering?!"  Haha!

Millie Janalee's latest obsession is waving.  I'm not sure if she actually understands she is saying "Hello" or "Goodbye," but she LOVES to wave her arms at people.  And at herself in the mirror.  Like wave them furiously.  Very fast.  All over the place.  Ha!  Her favorite activity is probably playing with her twin.  You know the one.  That twin that is always standing behind the mirror!  She just moves that little mouth as fast as it can go and waves her arms.  Once her excitement is contained enough to make actual sounds, she starts up with "Dadadadadada!  Ahhh!  Dada!"  Yep.  "Dada" was her first word.  This Mama worked so hard on "Mama."  But, alas, her little tongue found the "D" first.  The last week or so brought a fun new trick.  Millie Janalee loves to shake her head back and forth like she's saying, "No."  We joke that she's saying, "No!  No more squash please!"  There's no rhyme or reason to it.  She just decides she wants to shake it...and so she does.  She's making other sounds in combination with "Dada" also.  Today, it sounded exactly like she said, "Hey Daddy!"  Of course, Russ was on Cloud Nine!  I just follow up with...."Ma-ma.  Ma-ma."  To which she usually replies, "Dada!" with a huge gummy grin!

We are into everything!  Anything within reach.  Actually, anything that she might be able to stretch and reach too.  Cords, food, phones, remote control, toy, Farley, glasses, jewelry.  You name it.  She grabs it or tries very hard to reach it.  We aren't crawling yet, but she tries.  She will work those little legs until her little booty is in the air, and then she falls over to the side.  She just lays there on her side acting like she meant to roll over the whole time.  Ha!  She sleeps on her tummy now...like I mentioned in a previous post.  And we DID find the solution to the wet bed.  Huggies Snug and Dry did the trick!  No more waking up wet!  So far.

She's still eating good.  And I'm still making her baby food.  There was a brief moment where I had to feed her "fake apples, fake bananas, and fake sweet potatoes" during our trip.  It was only during the traveling days, and I nearly gagged at the look and smell of it!  I guess I've turned into a snobby baby food mom.  Sorry!  I couldn't get to the store fast enough to get some apples, bananas, squash, and carrots to make at the condo.  We are still trying new foods.  So far, Millie Janalee has tried bananas, apples, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, green peas, squash, and this week we added plums.  She's not the biggest fan of plums yet.  Neither am I.  I have asparagus to add next.  I'm not sure how that will turn out.  Ha!  She eats a lot, in my opinion.  After she wakes up, I feed her a bottle.  She goes down for a nap around 10, and I feed her solids when she wakes up or around 12.  That's when she eats 2 ounces of oatmeal mixed with a cube or two of fruit and a cube of veggies.  She takes another bottle around 2 before her afternoon nap.  Then, around 5 or so, she eats supper.  That is usually 4 cubes of two different veggies and a cube of fruit.  If she's still hungry, we add more.  On vacation, she actually ate about 8.5 ounces of baby food for supper one night!  I thought she would explode!  Then, she takes a bedtime bottle around 8-8:30.  We actually had a checkup at the doctor today, and she weighed in at 18 pounds 6 ounces.   So, she's growing!  Probably still around 55%.  Perfect little lady!

 Millie Janalee does not feel in full control unless she is standing.  No. She doesn't stand on her own or pull up to a standing position.  But she will stand while you hold her hands or hold her thighs steady.  When she is in that standing position, she really shows out!  Maybe she will be a performer some day.  Standing, she's the most vocal and energetic little person!  She babbles and yells and squeals and smiles and makes breathy sounds all while waving her arms all over the place!  This week, she started a yelling sound with her fists balled up by her side.  Her little arms are stiff too.  It. Is. Hilarious!  The first time she did it, we were all sitting around talking.  Maybe she wanted more attention.  If so, she got it!  After that, all cameras and eyes were on her.  Ha!  So, we've added that little trick to our repertoire now.

She loves bending over, leaning her upper body over, and turning her head upside down.  It's so cute.  [I guess I think it's all cute.  Maybe you all are bored by now.  Ha!]  She especially loves to lean over and pop back up when someone is imitating her...say, at a restaurant.  Ha!  She sits in a high chair now, which gives her so many options during meals.  She gets everyone's attention with her cuteness and her quirks.  For example, she loves to get real close to a glass of any drink.  So we hold it up to her face.  Then, we may or may not shake the glass full of ice unexpectedly just to see her jump and hold both sides of her head with her little hands.  It's SO funny! If we had done that - which I'm not saying we did - there may have been a lady that met us in the bathroom and asked Millie Janalee if that glass of ice was torturing her.  Ha!

She listens very well!  She always had.  But, now that she isn't always in her carrier, it's so funny to watch.  She stares all waiters and waitresses down.  It's almost like she's waiting on them to take her order.  She stares at anyone who is talking the loudest.  During our vacation, we had a guide on a tram ride to the top of the mountain, and Millie Janalee stared at him the whole time.  I just know she's soaking up all this knowledge in her noggin for later use.  Maybe she'll be a trivia expert like her Daddy.

We have really gotten into a solid routine lately too.  She's always had somewhat of a routine, but now that she's older she has gotten into the groove of a near exact routine that can't often waiver.  Unless she's in the midst of people and activity.  Then, she is a TROOPER and works very hard to keep those little eyelids up.  She doesn't like to miss a thing!  We have three naps a day...two of those are 1-2 hours long.  On a good day, her 10:00 nap is close to or just at 2 hours.  On a bad day, it's 45 minutes.  But, she does get all three in.  Her last nap is the hardest to get in, because Daddy comes home about that time.  And nothing is as exciting as when Daddy comes home!  Her naps are usually (but not exactly) at 10, 2 or 3, and 5 or 6.  I usually take cues from her to see when it's time, but she's pretty much like clockwork.  Except that last nap.  I kinda slip that in.  It only takes her about 2 minutes once I start the nap routine for her to realize she is, in fact, sleepy.

We've never been big "rockers."  Most of her bottles have been given in our living room in our armchair.  So, she wasn't rocked all that much when she was little.  But, now that she's older, I cherish those rocking moments.  She almost always has to be "rocked" to sleep...or near sleep.  I don't mind.  It seriously takes less that 2 minutes for her to close her eyes.  Lots of times we play Pandora's Disney Radio while we rock.  If I don't have a rocking chair (like on vacation), I just pretend with a rocking motion.  Works every time.

I think we have begun the separation anxiety phase this month too.  It doesn't matter if it's just one other person in the room or ten.  If she sees one person that she's been playing with or watching leave the room, she will start to whine.  She likes everyone to be together and stay put.  She keeps a close eye on me and Russ too.  She knows when we enter.  And when we leave.  If I need to leave the room (even if the whole family is there), I wait until she's distracted.  If she doesn't see you leave, she's just fine! She has also gotten used to me putting her to sleep and makes it difficult for others to attempt.  I still made my mom do it one night on vacation, because I want Millie Janalee to be okay with others putting her to sleep.  Especially since she will have babysitters here and there.  But, I must admit, it makes my heart smile to know she likes her Mama to cradle her nearly 20 pound body and rock that heavy breathing baby to sleep.  Yep.  My heart smiles!

My heart has been smiling for the past seven months of my life.  It smiles from the moment I hear that sweet baby sound on the monitor until the moment I fall asleep glancing at a sleeping babe on the same monitor.  Who knew that such a little person could bring so much happiness?!  Who knew that I could love this little girl so much and still have more love to give each day?   My heart aches at how fast time is flying by, but it is smiling and sqealing at how much fun each stage is!  Each stage has been my favorite so far.  I'm not lying.  It's true.  I can't pick a favorite.  I love being Millie Janalee's mama.  I always knew I wanted to be a mama!  I'm not the perfect mama.  Not even close.  But, I know this is what I was made for!

I was made to be Millie Janalee's mama.  And a mother to anyone else God places in our family.  It's the most fun, most joyful, most exciting, most gratifying, most wonderful, most overwhelming responsibility!  From morning bottle to public blowout diapers. [Now that's a whole other post entirely!]

Happy Seven Months, baby girl!