Teeth!

After a couple of weeks of crankiness, low grade fever, runny nose, and lots of drool, both my front teeth have broken through the gums!  Daddy managed to catch a couple photos.  Remember that the goal was to see the teeth, not to be photogenic!

Ready, Set.....

May 20, 2010.  The first day in my journey towards being mobile.  I was on Mommy's bed and wanted to see the dogs.  So I leaned forward but still couldn't see them.  Then all of a sudden I had leaned so far I was up on all fours!  It was great.

From then on I have been trying to crawl.  Mostly I lean forward, go up on all fours, and then flop down on my belly towards what I am trying to get to.  Each time I do this I get a little farther forward.

However, the crawling is confusing me because really I am ready just to walk.  I only have patience for crawling for so long before I try and start straightening my legs, sticking my butt way up in the air.  I get really frustrated when I can't figure out how to get from that to standing.  But if Mommy or Daddy give me their hands I can pull my self up to standing no problem.  Once I am up I like to bend over and pick up toys off the ground.   I am also working on standing and holding on to the furniture. 

Watch out Mom and Dad, here I come!

Mom and Dad have a night out

I have not been good about blogging lately but I had to share that I have had my first night at home without Mommy and Daddy.  Of course Grandma Miaja and Papa Kelly were here to take good care of me and I wasn't home alone.  For Mommy and Daddy it was a 5th anniversary present to be able to go out to dinner, a movie, and stay at a hotel without me.  And for Grandma Miaja it was a Mother's Day present to be able to spend the whole night taking care of me. For me it was just another night of playing in the pool, eating dinner, taking a bath, and sleeping.  I hardly noticed that Mommy and Daddy were gone because Grandma took such good care of me.  Mommy told me after they got home that she and Daddy stayed out until 10 PM!  That is way past their bed time these days!  Here are some pictures from my weekend.

Playing in the pool

A Mother's Day Snuggle with Grandma Miaja

 Mommy was tired after a night out so we napped together

6 Month Check-up

Today was my 6 month doctor's visit.  In addition to three shots and one yucky medicine they fed me, I got my measurements taken and a thorough check-up.  Dr. Irwin, once again, told me I am in great health and doing great.  I didn't like the shots very much but as soon as Mommy sat me back up I was done crying and smiled at everybody as we left the office.  I got permission to start having soft table foods and continue trying new things to eat.  Overall I am growing steadily but am still a small girl.  My measurements were:

Weight:  14lbs 11oz (19th %)  (I finally doubled my birth weight)
Height: 26in (53rd %)   (same as before which surprised Mommy!)
Head Circumference: 42in (32nd %)


I have been sitting up all by myself since April 20th.  I like to sit and play with my toys.  I can lean forward and get myself back up but can't get to sitting once I fall over.  When I am on my tummy I can get up on my knees and lift my body but so far I just rock back and forth until my arms get tired.  I am good at talking and laughing but Mommy and Daddy still aren't very good at understanding what I am saying.

I thought I would just share some recent pictures with everybody.

Here I am sitting up and playing in my pack n' play

All dressed up for Mom's Day pictures

Modeling my new sunglasses

Playing in my walker - Being mobile is fun!

I am a messy eater!

Exercising with Mom

For the past 5 weeks Mom and I have been going at least 3 times a week to an exercise group called Stroller Strides.  Mom has been reluctant to share with everybody cause she wanted to be able to share results with people but I finally convinced her that this is such a big part of our lives right now, she just needs to share.  Even if she hasn't lost much weight!  On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays we head to a local park, and sometimes on Tuesdays and and Thursdays we go to a park in Surprise (30 minutes away), to join other kids and moms.   When we get there Mom loads me up in the jogging stroller, puts sunscreen on me, hands me several toys and sometimes a bottle, and we join in the fun.  From my stroller I watch as Mom sweats and breaths hard as she runs around the park and stops to do all kinds of activities with the other moms.  There are squats, lunges, stepping up street curbs, pulling on these bands that they tie around the fences, running, jumping, and more!  It is pretty funny.  They even sing songs to us sometimes.  Although I do tend to fall asleep towards the end of every class.   After class everyone gathers around and visits while all the kids (that can) run around and play.  I can't wait until I get to join in someday.   And Mom tells me she can't wait until she stops getting sore after every class.

 

 The Moms gathered after a hard workout

Here I am sleeping while Mom works hard.

Mom took this picture when she took off my hat after a hot day.  I got sweaty that day too.

Bathing Beauty

One of the best things about Daddy working so hard last weekend outside in 90 degree heat was that he was ready for a swim when he was all finished for the day.  And he decided to take me in with him.  He took me in really slowly to get used to it.  The thermometer said that the pool was 78 degrees, but that was probably just the surface cause it felt pretty chilly.  Daddy shouldn't have worried though because I loved it!  We swam around the pool for awhile and then I discovered splashing.  If I flapped my arms water would splash up and hit my face.  I just couldn't get enough of it.  Swimming is great!  I can't wait until I get to go again. 

It can only get better from here...

or so they say.  The past several weekends Daddy has been hard at work outside on the backyard.  He says that all the destruction and demo is now complete and it is time to start putting it all back together, but it looks like he has a lot of work of ahead of him to me.  Mommy and I pretty much stay inside and then wander out every hour or so to supervise and check on progress.  The first weekend he took out the playhouse from the back corner.  The second weekend he took the fig tree down to a stump.  The third weekend he had some help from CB moving the rock that covered everything that isn't grass or pool.  The forth weekend he spent almost all weekend digging up sprinkler lines and trying to figure out where they all go.  That seemed to be the most frustrating for him.  He kept asking Mommy and me to come out to look at lines that didn't go anywhere, disappeared under the pool's deck or weren't capped.  Then last weekend he had the most fun.  He rented a bobcat and moved dirt.  There were strange hills that took up a big part of the yard and he leveled them out so that I will have more grass area to play on when I get bigger.   It is hard for me to understand how he is going to get it all fixed but I am confident he will.  Here is a progression of the destruction.   I will post pictures again when it is all finished.

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend started off on Friday.  Not only did Grandma Miaja, Grandma Jeri and Danielle have the day off but Mommy informed me that Daddy was on his way driving from Arizona.  After a nice relaxing morning and a few good naps Mommy and I wandered over to visit Grandma Jeri.  While we played with her there was activity going on over at Danielle's house.  We went outside and found that they had started to move.  Aunt Danielle, Uncle Kane and Cousin Rylee were packing up to move to their new house.  They would no longer be living on the same street with everybody else.  We stood and watched them for awhile.  Mommy used me as an excuse not to help although I love to grab at things and think I would have been a good help.  After awhile I got tired and hungry again so Mommy and I went back up for a nap.  About an hour later we wandered down again and the big truck they had rented was almost full.  This time Aunt Michelle and Peyton were helping supervise while everybody else helped get everything out of the house.  They were all very busy.  That's when Daddy and the dogs showed up.  Boy was I happy to see him, but I was just as happy to see the dogs.  They make me giggle!   Daddy sure did look tired though after his long drive.  When they finished loading the truck and several other cars, everybody started heading out to the new house.  Mommy and Daddy put me in my carseat and headed over too.   Daddy put me in the carrier and started to help unload.  He let me help hold the things he was carrying.  See I told you I could be helpful.  But it wasn't long before he ran out of energy and sat down against a wall.  Pretty soon he was lying down and we were both having a little nap while everybody else was bringing in boxes all around us.   Soon we were headed back over to Grandma Miaja's so Daddy could get some real rest.  That night Mommy made dinner for everybody and I heard that after I went to bed Mommy and Daddy left me in the care of Grandma Miaja and went to visit Aunt Danielle and Uncle Kane as they settled into their new house.  Luckily for Grandma, I didn't wake up.

Saturday morning everybody got up and had breakfast.  Mommy, Grandma Miaja and Michelle headed out to do some shopping and Daddy took me and the dogs over to see cousin Rylee and take her to the park.  Papa Delbert came with us and we had a good time on the swings.   That afternoon Mommy got me dressed up in a cute little pink and white outfit that was much too lightweight for the weather and we headed over to a local park for some family pictures.  There were lots of people there and a lady taking everybody's pictures - over and over and over again.  But I thought it was pretty fun and smiled and talked a lot the whole time.  After we headed over to Grandma Jeri's and Papa Delberts for a big BBQ.  Here are some pictures from the evening. 

Here is Mommy feeding me on the way home from the park

Grandma Miaja and me - more prunes, yummy!

Papa Kelly and me - he let me play with my spoon and I knew just where it needed to go.

 Daddy, Rylee, and Michelle coloring Easter eggs

Rylee thought it would be easy to stick her toes in her mouth so here she is practicing with me.  

Grandma Jeri joined in the fun.

Here is Mommy and me.   I think she is pretty funny.

Sunday came as a dark gray day.  It was Easter morning.  Mommy got me dressed in a pretty green and pink dress and we headed out to church.  Grandma Jeri and Papa Delbert were very happy to have us there with them.  I wasn't too sure what to think.  It was very loud with lots of music when we first got there.  The room was dark but there were colorful lights and lots and lots of people.  I just stayed in my carseat looking around trying to figure out what was happening.  I started to get restless about an hour in and Daddy took me out into the entry way to walk around.  The next thing I knew were we headed back to Grandma Miaja's because Mommy had heard that we were going to have visitors.  When we got back, Gram and Gramps Farschon and Auntie Meg and Danny were waiting for us.  I had fallen asleep on the drive so it was about an hour before I finally said hello.  I had had a busy morning already and I wasn't too sure about everything so I was a little grumpy from time to time.  But I could tell that everybody was excited to see me.  Gramps never left me alone.  Grandma Miaja ran to the store after church and was busy cooking the whole time we were playing.   Here are some pictures from my first Easter with all my family!

Gramps and I playing airplane

Danny and Rylee playing with the goodies the Easter Bunny left her.

After Gram, Gramps, Megan and Danny left we relaxed for a little while.  Then Mommy and Daddy handed me off to Grandma Miaja.  They went to visit with Aunt Danielle and Uncle Kane for the evening while Grandma gave me my bath and put me to bed.  It was fun spending time with her and it was nice for Mommy and Daddy to have a fun evening out.   

Monday came and we were on the road home.   The drive was long but I slept most of the way again.  It was raining most of the way while we were in California and there were lots of accidents on the roads in Los Angeles.  It took us 10 hours to get home.  But I made sure to help out where I could.