Dispatches from the Crib...

From: Erin Murray
Subject: Checkups, baptizums, earthquakes, plane rides and more
Date: Thursday, May 23, 2002

Hello, everybody! I'm so grown up now -- a week ago yesterday was my 6th month birthday. Last week was my doctor's appointment, too. I weigh 17 pounds now, and I'm 26 1/2 inches tall. I can sort of sit up by myself, but I'm a little wobbly still. However, I can get up on all fours and rock back and forth a lot. Mommy and Daddy keep saying something about moving my arms forward, but I'm scared to lift up one of my arms for fear I'll bash my nose into the floor.

This past weekend was very busy and fun! Grandma and Grandpa Murray got here last Thursday and Grandmommy and Granddaddy Feather came on Saturday. We had lots of fun and got to do all sorts of neat things. Mommy and Grandmommy fussed over my outfit for church on Sunday. It was all pretty and white with white patent shoes and lacy socks. All of my grandparents along with Great-Aunt Wanda and Great-Uncle Chet came to church, too. We sat up towards the front, and then, during the middle of the service, Mommy and Daddy and I got to go up front in front of everybody. I was so nervous I got the hiccups! Everybody at church smiled, though. My new friend Meredith was there, too (she's so young -- she is only four months old -- I'm a lot older than she is), with her mommy and daddy. The minister said some prayers, and then splashed water on Meredith's head. Then he splashed a lot of water on my head! I just looked back in his face in amazement...nobody had done that to me before! But everybody seemed happy that he had done it, so I smiled too. It's called a "baptizum" and I suspect I'll learn more about it later when I grow up.

I finally learned the trick to rolling from my tummy onto my back. It just sort of came to me on Saturday. To do it you get up on your hands and knees and then just sort of drop to one side. It's easy! I've been rolling over and sleeping on my tummy now, but when I wake up at night and want to change positions, I'm so sleepy that I forget how to do it (and that makes me mad!). Mommy or Daddy have to get up and come flip me over on my back, and then I go right back to sleep. Mommy really wants me to remember how to roll back over onto my back, but that's hard when you're tired.

I've been eating rice cereal flavored with pears, and avocadoes and mangoes as side dishes. This week I got to try something called oatmeal! It is a little mushier than rice cereal, but over all not too bad. I've had sweet potatoes and bananas too so far.

Did you feel the ground move last month? It was really spooky. I woke up a little early that Saturday because I was hungry. Mommy had just finished feeding me and we were rocking together when suddenly the rocking chair started rocking the other way! Mommy shouted to Daddy (who was still sleepy and thought someone was just shaking the bed) and they both agreed that it was an earthquake. Mommy said that was a little bit like the airplane we're going to fly on a few days later. I'm glad she held me tight.

I really wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the plane ride, but I liked it a lot. On the way up the first time, I slept a little bit and on the way back down I sucked my pacifier. Then Grandmommy and Granddaddy Feather came to the Charlotte airport to pick us up. I got to spend ten whole days with my Feather grandparents. Mommy and Daddy went to Houston for a few days to a meeting with some other people. I missed them a lot, but got to know Grandmommy and Granddaddy and their friends really well. We saw ducks and planes and some pretty flowers and a big house and all sorts of other stuff.

There are some new pictures of me on the web now! There's one of me sticking out my tongue and rolling it up on both sides. I learned how to do that. :-) Daddy has pictures from the baptizum, but he is waiting for pictures from Grandpa Murray and Granddaddy Feather before he adds them to the website.

Love and hugs,
Erin