Yesterday, our petite little girl turned THREE MONTHS old!  I'm smiling and laughing every day at the new things she does or the new sounds she makes.  I absolutely love being a stay at home mommy, and I realize how blessed I am that I'm able to do so.  I am so grateful for my hard-working husband who provides for our family and helps us budget so that I can continue this new job.  If I had my own money coming in...I'd surely put it on Russ for the best husband ever!  But since I don't anymore, I'd just end up borrowing money from him.  And that would defeat the purpose!  Ha!

This little lady has had a big week.  She's had a big month!  We have introduced her to the love of Mississippi State football.  We have taught her how to dress for cooler weather.  And we have picked her first pumpkin.  On top of all that, Millie Janalee has done a few new things all on her own!  She started rolling over from front to back.  She can roll like a champ!  I'm in no hurry for her to roll from her back to her front though.  She just smiles all the time.  She tries her best to talk.  Once she figures it all out, I just know she'll never stop!  I envision lots of check marks next to "control talking and whispering" on her report card just like her mama.  She's also started really getting into toys.  It's SO fun watching her play with her little toys, lovies, and of course her little hands.  Millie Janalee is just a JOY!

Millie Janalee is blowing our minds growing like a weed!  We weighed her today unofficially.  You know, like I stood on the scale and weighed myself (which was scary in and of itself!).  Then, I held her and stepped on the scale.  After Russ did the calculations, we think she weighs somewhere around 12 1/2 pounds!  Oh my!  This can't be possible!  Just look at my bitty baby as she's grown...

To celebrate Millie Janalee's three months, we stopped back by the pumpkin patch to pick out and purchase her very first pumpkin.  She was very involved with the picking process.  Well, as involved as a three month old can be.  I think she was happy with our choice.

By the time we got posed for a picture, she was really into that big stem sticking up at her.  We opted not to try the whole take a picture by herself ordeal.  Last time we tried that, she ended up with hay everywhere!  Finished off by hay in her mouth!  No idea how that happened.  All I know is that we were all sweating and Millie Janalee was crying by the time we finished.  Oh, the things we do to make a memory!  Ha!

So, Millie Janalee and I called in reinforcements...aka...my family!  We made a memory together!  We missed Russ terribly and hope to get a family pumpkin patch picture soon.  For now, I will enjoy our mother/daughter time!  I'm looking forward to many more days like today!

By the time we got home to Daddy, Millie Janalee couldn't wait to show out and show off her punkin!  It was the best punkin in the patch, and Millie Janalee was most definitely the CUTEST punkin in the patch!

Millie Janalee and Russ had some fun daddy/daughter time while I rushed around getting things ready for our Homecoming game tomorrow and got my pictures uploaded from our fun fall trip.  She loves her daddy!  Can't you tell...

We showed Daddy Millie Janalee's first pumpkin, and he was so proud of her choice.  If she could talk, I'm thinking it would go something like..."Look at my punkin, Daddy!  Do you like it?"

It's true.  She's three months old.  She has lots going on this fall, and I don't look for her social calendar to let up any until after the new year.  Thanking God every day...all day...for this blessing!  Our lil' punkin, Millie Janalee!

Happy Three Months, baby girl!

Thirteen Weeks

Millie Janalee is officially 13 weeks old today!  That means 91 days ago, our world became a better place when this sweet angel entered it.  I am thankful every day for two loving birthparents who made a selfless decision to make a plan for this sweet girl.  And I am grateful and overwhelmed that God chose us for her...and her for us.  Thankful daily for my little Party of THREE!

My sweet little owl

Millie Janalee will technically be three months old tomorrow, and I can hardly believe it.  It honestly feels like she became a little chunk over the last two days!  She is filling out, and we are having a blast! We have mastered one big accomplishment this week!  Millie Janalee can roll from front to back with no problem at all.  It happened once on a fluke a week or so ago.  But, all of a sudden this week, she does it like it's no big thing.  I don't even get a chance to get a tummy time picture before she starts rolling.  Get it girl!

Hooty Hoo!

Millie Janalee started eating 6 ounces over the last couple of weeks...every 4-5 hours.  We think she may be going through a little growth spurt or something based on her minor meltdowns lately.  In fact, we even picked up teething gel one night thinking maybe she was teething.  No sign of teeth.  Things are beginning to settle down, although she started back to her waking up once during the night.  Last night, I woke her up to eat around midnight, and she didn't eat again until 7 this morning.  But, she still woke up around 3:30 crying for no reason.  After I got her cuddled and calmed down, she slept pretty soundly until Russ started getting ready for work.  We are working on getting back to her routine and staying pretty calm during the week between game days.  By staying calm I mean staying in our pajamas all day.  Snuggling.  Playing.  And taking it easy.  I'm still trying to let her take at least one of her naps in her crib each day.  I'm hoping this will eventually make the transition to her crib a little easier.  We shall see.

Meeting a new friend

Millie Janalee and I have traveled to my hometown for our home church's Fall Festival.  Like I said in a previous post, I went a little overboard with the Halloween costumes this year.  So we needed an extra opportunity to wear one.  Perfect!  We pulled it out for her first Fall Festival.  She was also very excited to meet a new little friend.  Riley Jane is 11 weeks old, and she was ready for her first Fall Festival too! Both these babies favor their daddies so much!  And I'm pretty sure they both have those daddies wrapped around those little fingers too!  Ha!

Millie Janalee and Riley Jane

We had a great day celebrating 13 amazing weeks of life for Millie Janalee!  I told Russ last night that being a mom is by far the best job in the world, and I am so incredibly honored that God would allow me the chance to mother His child.  'Tis so sweet to trust Him!  SO SWEET!

 Happy thirteen weeks, Millie Janalee!  We love you more than you will ever know!

MSU vs. Tennessee

Saturday morning, we loaded up and headed to one of the best places on Earth...Starkvegas!  It was a big game day...and it proved to be even bigger!  Millie Janalee has been a little touch and go lately, so I was curious about how she would do.  She was a trooper!  Minus one meltdown...she had a great day!

Now, when you take a bitty baby to a ballgame...it's all about the details.  Make sure that baby knows who she's cheering for.  From hairbow to toe!

It was a beautiful day to tailgate!  The weather was nice.  The breeze was blowing.  The company was fun...as always!  The fun had begun!  We spent our day like we do every other tailgate.  Visiting, watching football, eating, laughing, and playing corn hole.

PawPaw, Millie Janalee, and Uncie Bucket

Sheila and Susu

Sisters

Tailgating with a baby makes things even more entertaining.  Especially now that Millie Janalee is interacting more.  Auntie Kristin and Uncie Lee spent some good quality time with their favorite niece. Somehow they always end up with "leftover time" when it comes to Millie Janalee.  So it was nice for them to play.

"Hey Auntie Kristin!"

Reading a book to Millie Janalee

Auntie Kristin and Uncie Leeroy

As always,we enjoyed our visitors who stopped by.  We have gotten used to the fact that many come to see the baby, but we still enjoy their visits nonetheless.  Ha!  This is one of my favorite things about game days.  No matter where you go after college, we all end up in Starkville on Saturdays in the fall.

Jean, Mama, and Sherra

Jennifer, Kristin, and Millie Janalee

Sheila, Dustin, and Daddy with Daddy's cousin and wife

Season and Millie Janalee

Season, me, and Millie Janalee

Corn hole games rarely end when visitors stop by.  It's great friends who join in the fun!  Karen and her "posse" visited for a while on Saturday, and she made sure to try her hand at corn hole before leaving.  The guys and Sheila can be quite competitive during this time!  Ha!

Daddy and Karen

Millie Janalee resting up for the big game

Lee and Dustin

Daddy and Sheila

Russ

After Millie Janalee's minor meltdown, a nap, and some time to herself playing in her pack 'n' play...she was one happy baby ready for game time!  Russ got a new camera last week.  Did you hear that?  Yes.  My husband got a new camera.  So prepare yourself for a major picture overload when he gets time to really play with it!  Ha!  So, he took a few snapshots...or a lot of snapshots...of the rest of the night.

Happy girl!

Smith girls

I usually have to beg him to snap pictures of our visitors and fun things throughout the day, but this time was different.  He was happy for any opportunity to take a picture.  Yay for a family photographer!

More friends who are loyal visitors

Our cousins made the trip to Starkville for this game! 

Group shot with Chelsea and Phillip!

Can you tell it was a white out on our side of the stadium from the above picture?  Ha!  Millie Janalee isn't quite in her white out attire quite yet.  Don't worry!  You know I brought her a cute costume change.  She'll join the crowd in a bit.

Me, Millie Janalee, and Uncie Bucket

Dustin did a quick physical therapy assessment...and she passed.  Ha!

She was thrilled!  Can you tell?

I must mention that this was a late game.  LATE.  It didn't start until 8:00.  So, around 7 we all started picking up and putting valuables in our cars.  Daddy started handing out tickets and gathering cowbells.  I took some time to get Millie Janalee ready to beat Tennessee.  She was ready!

Throwing some punches Tennessee's way!

I just LOVE her game day white out dress!

If you remember, we took Millie Janalee into the last game.  She did great! Slept through the whole thing.  This game, we knew it would be LOUD.  This will probably prove to be our biggest game of the season!  SEC game.  Really needed a win.  Or as ESPN kept stating it, "We needed to prove ourselves."  Whatever!  I was SO excited about what Susu had for Millie Janalee's first LOUD game! I can't stand it!  I'm obsessed!  Everyone in line was obsessed too, and one lady gave Millie Janalee a sticker on her booty since she was so cute.  Ha!

We put her headset on right outside the stadium, and her eyes immediately began to get heavy.  She couldn't hear a thing.  At least that's my guess.  She was in her own little world.  She might as well have been nice and cozy in her bassinet at home. 

Instead she was amidst screams, yells of "Maroon!  White!", the band, cowbells, and lots of excitement!  I was completely OBSESSED with her.  We laughed and took pictures all night!  So cute!  Hilarious!  Gosh, she is just a perfect fit!  Born TRUE MAROON!

Millie Janalee and Mama

She slept through the entire first half.  At halftime, I laid her out on my lap and it never phased her.  She just snoozed right through the headset squeezing her cheeks together!  As the third quarter began, she woke up ready to stretch.  Susu ended up taking her on a little walk under the stands.  She just needed to stretch.  Mama said that she watched the third quarter standing on a ramp.  Millie Janalee must have watched too.  She couldn't hear it, I'm guessing, because she had her headphones on.

While Susu and Millie Janalee were under the stands, they missed Millie Janalee's big introduction to Davis Wade Stadium!  Yep.  She was on the jumbotron dreaming of an undefeated season and a championship trophy!  It should be noted that I missed it too, because I walked under the stands looking for them!  Thankfully, Russ took his camera into the game.  Yay for the family photographer!

She's famous!

The rest of the game was amazing!  Mississippi State not only beat Tennessee!  Our Dawgs made a grand finale with an incredible touchdown pass and catch!  We were all on the edge of our seats, shaking, tense, and elated about such a victory!  This was big for our program!  BIG!  We are bowl eligible, and I look to even more wins as this season progresses.  GO DAWGS!

Fireworks went off as the game ended.  We experienced our first battle scar of the season.  Out of the more than 57,000 fans in the stands, the fireworks landed on one of us.  Daddy felt his arm burning and looked down to see this...

It was suggested that he frame that shirt in a shadow box to commemorate the win.

We stood around soaking in this win as our band played the Alma Mater and fight song.  The team left the field with cowbells still ringing.  Finally, we all headed to the tent.  I was anxious to see how Millie Janalee liked the rest of the game.  She was so happy about her Bulldogs!

Yay Bulldogs!

Smith women

It was close to midnight at this point.  Way too late for a child, but that's the way we roll around here.  Ha!  We started taking down the tents, food, and paraphernalia while I put Millie Janalee into her pajamas and Sheila fed her.

We sat around and visited as we waited on "Dan the Man" to leave campus.  He always drives past our tailgate, and we like to wave or "ring" him out.  This time, we were delighted to ring a cowbell as he passed.

Way to go Coach!  Great game!

Our estimated arrival time in our bed...3:45 a.m.  Makes for an early Sunday church service.  Ha!  Now, let's do it again Saturday!