Carlos the Caterpillar: The Pupa Stage - Part 1

Well, it happened! Carlos made his chrysalis, and he made it in the same day that I took the pictures of him hanging upside down. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't catch the process on film. I've witnessed a Monarch turning into its chrysalis twice, and next to child birth, I think it's one of the most amazing sites ever. I've witnessed it, but still can't wrap my mind around how by shedding their skin, they make this hard shell and then over a week or two, turn into a butterfly...amazing. Here are the pictures of Carlos in his chrysalis.

Here is the skin that he shed.

Only about a week before we find out if Carlos is really a Carlos or is he a Carla? I don't know! Only two little black dots on the back of the Monarch's wings will tell us. If there are dots, it's Carlos. If there aren't, it's Carla!

Carlos the Caterpillar: The (Final) Larva Stage - Part 5

Just as I had expected, the very next day Carlos was in a (backwards) "J" shape ready to make his chrysalis. *Fun Fact* Monarch caterpillars can stay in this position for hours before making their chrysalis. Another *Fun Fact* Monarch caterpillars make their little "silk ball" that they hang from before making their chrysalis. That's that white spot he's attached to. I was in and out of the room all day long hoping to catch it on film. We have to keep Carlos closed up in the guest bedroom now because Bella, our curious cat, likes to bat at his net. So, here's the final pictures of Carlos the caterpillar. Next time you see him, he will be in his chrysalis!

Carlos the Caterpillar: The Larva Stage - Part 4

This past week, I was pretty sure that Carlos was going to make his chrysalis at any time. He was huge! So, as AB and I were in her room playing, I took the opportunity to get some last shots with AB and Carlos the caterpillar. I actually braved picking him up and I attempted to let AB touch him. I quickly decided that wasn't a good idea. She's not about touching, she's about grabbing! *Fun Fact* Monarch caterpillars curl up into a little "tortilla roll" as I call it, when they feel threatened. It's their defense mechanism. You can imagine how incredibly threatened Carlos felt, when AB's hand went straight for him. He survived, though - whew!

Tried to get a size comparison to AB's finger...didn't work.

So here he is compared to mine! Isn't he so big?

The picture is blurry because I wasn't as worried about the focus of the camera as I was AB killing Carlos!

We've really enjoyed watching Carlos grow! Any day now...

Annabelle and Drake Meet for the First Time!

One of my very best friends from childhood, Jenna, had her sweet baby boy, Drake Dean Freeman on May 19, 2010. After being teased by all the adorable pictures on facebook, I couldn't wait until they made the trek from Lubbock to Dallas, so I could get my hands on him! Oh, the pictures didn't do him justice! He's perfect! I snapped a few pictures of Drake and AB meeting for the first time - priceless!

Precious little man!
Beautiful Mommy and Drake

Buddies already

This picture cracks me up!! Check out the caption on his shirt, "happy." Haha, after looking at this picture, I beg to differ!

It was so sweet seeing my baby and Jenna's baby meet for the first time. I spent an entire childhood playing Barbies and baby dolls with Jenna. Now we have our very own real-life baby dolls. So blessed!

Grandpa's Birthday

Saturday was Grandpa's 40th birthday...ok, maybe not 40. :0) BUT it was his first birthday as a Grandpa. It was a fun night of grilling out and family time. Dad wanted to get a silly picture of him and AB with big bows in their hair. That silly Grandpa. The rest of the pics are them hanging out in our backyard. Excuse my child and her scraggly hair. She's outgrown the headbands with bows because it's now too long. It's sometimes just easier to let it down and loose.

Carlos the Caterpillar: The Larva Stage - Part 3

I'm so excited because I was able to capture Carlos shedding his skin yesterday. It's just another one of the wondrous marvels in the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly. Monarch caterpillars shed up to 5-6 times in their short life of a caterpillar. Actually witnessing this doesn't happen too often. Carlos was lying completely still for nearly 24 hrs, so I knew he was due for a shed sometime soon. The first picture is a little blurry, but this is right after he wriggled out of his last bit of skin.

Carlos, after the shed.

That little blob behind Carlos is his skin. The Monarch caterpillars will actually turn around and eat their skin after they shed it. It provides a ton of nutrients for them.

AB finally knows what she's looking at, and she wants to get her hands on that little guy.

He's almost as big as her index finger. When he's about ready to make his chrysalis, he will be almost exactly the size, width and length, of her finger.

Here's a close-up after he shed his skin.

Here is my sweet little ragamuffin and Carlos. Her bow days are starting to become non-existent and therefore, we have some scraggly hair!

I'm giving it another week, and hopefully Carlos will be in his chrysalis! It's so exciting!

Major Milestones: Pulling Up

It took her a while to get there, but when she started crawling, she took off and hasn't slowed down since. A few weeks later, Miss AB was pulling herself up in her crib and pack and play. The first time I saw her do it, is on the monitor. So, I rushed into her room and there she was, holding onto her crib and standing proud and tall with the bigggest smile on her face. I wasn't quick enough to capture that moment on film, but here she is in her pack and play. She's so proud of herself. Just check out that smile!

Now, she's pulling upon furniture, Mommy, Daddy, and anything that is taller than her. Today, she pulled herself up on the coffee table, and grabbed Scout's leash that was laying there and took it with her to play with. *Sigh* Good-bye quiet, still and low-key days!