Baby Dedication

Our little "dandelion" was dedicated at church a couple of Sundays ago, and we were blessed to have most of her extended family with us to celebrate (including one aunt from Georgia and an uncle from Oklahoma).  It is incredibly humbling to know that friends, family, and our church community are lifting us up and walking along side of us. Our "village" was present and that meant the world to us!

9 months

Its amazing to think this sweet girl is 9 months old.

The stats:

1. Limited rolling - just a contortionist worthy stretch is all that's needed to get her toys.

2. Crawling/scooching has started, though only backwards.

3. Pulling herself up on laundry baskets and people seems to be a favorite activity.

4. Finger foods are being mashed by two tiny teeth.

5. Attending a new day care with the large red stroller and many more kids her age.

6. Eleanor the elephant and McNally the monkey are the two favorite toys to date.

7. Month 9 clothes and size 3 diapers need frequent changing due to the most disgusting poo I've ever witnessed.

8. High fives and waving aren't frequent, but we're working on it. 

9.  Crazy hair, full smiles, and squeals of delight!

Mr. Seal

At the six month check up, things were looking good. Our gal is currently in the 75% of height and 50% for weight. She's wearing 6 month clothes, but has graduated on to a few 6-9 month outfits. She's sitting on her own for extended periods, but is not interested in rolling at all (which we've only witnessed a handful of times since the first roll at Thanksgiving). Within the last month she has started on rice cereal, formula (for daycare), and has recently tried mashed carrots which were a huge hit. She loves playing "peek-a-boo," dancing to ABBA with mommy, pinching lips/tugging hair, and sucking on squishy blocks. Her current favorite toy by far is Mr. Seal. She loves chewing on and conversing at great lengths with this toy. (I've tried to upload a video of this. I hope it works!)

Nap time?

I've always had a lot of respect for women (and men) who decide to stay at home to raise their children. After staying home for the first 5 1/2 months, I have a much greater respect for stay-at-home parents. Considering that I never aspired for that position in life, I was surprised that there were times that I really enjoyed a domestic centric schedule. However, I'm looking forward to working 

away from home and regular adult interaction. 

You'd think someone this cute would be agreeable when it comes to taking naps. However, this is not the case at all, which has made preparing to head back to work a bit of a challenge. This has led to some late nights lately - a trend that will most likely continue for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, I'll be able to manage a new schedule that involves both family and work. It'll be a bit of a juggling act I'm sure, but it'll be a new chapter in this saga. 

Impromptu

Our first measurable snowfall (~7") meant an impromptu family outing to the backyard for snow angels, snowballs, and a snowman. 

Continuing on that theme we visited Mimi and Papa's church for a Christmas program, which asked for audience participation. Congregation members were invited to grab a costume and join the program as a character from the Christmas story. What a great idea for a program!  We decided to join in as shepherds herding our little lamb down the aisle. 

"Where's ...?"

Waldo was found this past Halloween at GG's house hanging out with one extremely windblown parrot. This Waldo made many appearances around town, and even received a couple of jars of baby food for her first trick-or-treat experience. (However, it was the parrot who enjoyed the candy!) The costumes were fun to make, and next year James said he'd get into the spirit with us. Any ideas on a cute (but easy to make) family costume theme?

Over the last couple of weeks we've tried to enjoy the remaining nice fall weather with frequent walks uptown and playing in the leaves. The last couple of days have been unseasonably warm, and I'm inclined to believe its the calm before the storm. Fortunately we're prepared as I was able to finish her car seat blanket and cover for this winter (picture to come in a later post). 

A couple of updates about our little girl: 

1. She was in the 98th percentile in height and 50th percentile in weight at her 4 month check up. 

2. She rolled over for the first time this Thanksgiving weekend (front to back), but has yet to make a repeat performance.

3. She's recently decided to refuse a bottle unless it contains freshly expressed milk and a latex nipple (which was discovered through MUCH trial and error). Perhaps there is an issue with lipase since she's refusing frozen milk that has been thawed, though I'm not 100% certain she's not just picky. 

4. She's got one set of "pipes" and isn't afraid to use them. 

5. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas has recently become a favorite story.

6. She's free with her smiles and enjoys laughing, as long as no one has a camera or cell phone out to document the occasion.  

3.5 months

 It's amazing to think we have a baby who is almost four months old. 

She's one special little lady, with a budding personality. Just a quick update with a more extensive one to follow after her 4 month check up in a couple of weeks. 

The kiddo is a champion thumb sucker, and as a result has been sleeping through the night (10 p.m. to 8 a.m.) for the past month. She is cooing and even starting to laugh. She loves checking out her hands, gnawing on fingers and cooled teethers, and grabbing toys on her play yard. She seems to be left-hand dominant, but perhaps its too early to tell. Tummy time is still a bit of a struggle, but she's handling it better than before. She sits in a bumbo seat to play, enjoys being pulled into a sitting or standing position, and "flying" with daddy. She's just recently graduated to a size 2 diaper and is wearing 3-6 month outfits. Her favorite songs include "I love trash," "Moon, moon, moon," and "I'm a little duckie." 

She also did well on her first vacation to Hocking Hills. We had a great time visiting, hiking, and relaxing with family.