8 MONTHS

This was taken on her 8 month birthday!!!

SILLY FACES

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!

Happy Father's Day to my hubby!!!!!!!! And the most wonderful daddy to our kids!!!! xoxoxox

MEMORIAL DAY FUN

Colbie enjoying the parade


Parade time



Indoor picnic


Parade time

Poppies!!

7 MONTHS

Helllllloooooo????? Is she really 7 months???? Wow, great... ok. So, Colbie is so sweet! We just love her. She is funny and observant and loving and smiley and so cute! She is eating cereal like a champ, breakfast, lunch and dinner. She has also had avocado, which she pretty much despised. I fed it to her mixed with breast milk first... she spit it out mostly and gagged once. I tried mixing it with water (which is how I make her cereal) and she looked at me like I was crazy to feed it to her! Ha ha. I hope carrots go much better next week. We'll see. Colbie is also sitting up pretty well. She isn't sturdy to where I can leave her, but she does stay up right and play with her toys. She loves playing on her belly and grabbing toys. She also loves her meals. She nurses at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 7pm, 11pm and occasionally at 5am. She has been going all night for a month or so (not counting the 2 weeks she was sick) and sleeping in her crib. She goes to bed so easily and if she fusses and cries we know she is over-tired or something is wrong. She takes her vitamin from a nipple still and has no issues with taking it (she hasn't taken a bottle, but I am 99% sure she would if needed). She drinks from a sippy cup and regular cup as well. And is pretty obsessed with it. She also loves baths. I can't wait to get her in the pool. She will love it. She gets so super excited when I come in her room after a nap or bed. When I talk to her or say her name she kicks and shrieks and squeals with excitement. What a happy girl. She still loves playing in her "party boat" (saucer) and being in her swing. She also plays in her pack-n-play and crib occasionally too. She is so "go-with-the-flow" and loves when Baylor and Averie talk and play with her. She is so great, I can't believe she is 7 months.

WORDS

So, here are some words to update the blog. I go to do this frequently and just don't know what to write. So here are some thoughts (no particular order) -

*We planted 2 gardens so far. And I have to get tomato plants into pots and plant some other things in the backyard garden like pumpkins and gourds. The kids and I grew the cucumbers, peas, pumpkins and gourds from seeds. We bought the other plants. I am super excited to plant flowers too. And to get the front "rock area" useable. We put a rectangular shaped garden in the middle there and are planning to do a walk way and stepping stones in there too. Also the swing (large bench one) and table and stool area for the kids. It is a work in progress. But I will love to be able to use that space!

*Colbie is so sweet. She really enjoys her saucer. She loves to "talk" to her toys, especially when they fall off her saucer. She talks to them loudly then and stretches to see them, it's cute. She is close to sitting all by herself. But does great sitting with the boppy behind her. She doesn't fall forward as much, she sits straight up. She is a great napper (usually) and naps in the morning from about 9:30am til 11:45am and again around 2pm til 4pm. She's been taking a 3rd nap, but it's been less and less and sometimes she fusses in her bed for 10 minutes and then I get her back up becuase I can tell she isn't going to sleep. She likes cereal so far. And has been taking it twice a day. Just a tablespoon or so, but she is learning to get it from the spoon to her mouth and then figuring out how to swallow it. I made her some carrots yesterday. I steamed them in my steamer and pulverized them with my food processor and then froze them in 14 little cubes. Perfect for defrosting and using as needed! But first avocado, probably next week. I want her to be good at eating cereal before I add more food. I also have a recipe for pears for after carrots! So fun! I can't wait for her to be a little chow hound! Colbie is also much better, health wise, she was on breathing treatments and antibiotics for a couple weeks. She had an ear infection and yucky cough. All is well now. She has her re-check and shots (EEEK!) this Thursday. I will hopefully do some running around with her afterwards, as long as she isn't too needy. She only had a bad reaction at 1 month (crying-screaming in pain from her little legs). :o)

*I have been better about letting my house be "lived-in." It's hard, but I haven't even been bothered by it as much. I clean up and organize several times a day, but don't let it overcome me. I like organization and have that... I just let clutter (toys, kids stuff) be around more often.

*Matt and I are going to start working out together again. We both want to, it's so just hard to find time and the excuses are so easy to come up with....

*We just got back from a weekend away at Pokagon State Park. We stayed at the Inn. It was a ton of fun. We were inside a lot because it rained, and rained, and rained... but the pool was nice! The kids are fish. They just swam and swam and were jumping in and practicing their skills. We also did crafts at the Inn (they had a craft room for kids. So neat.). Averie made a lady bug (painted) and watering can. And Baylor did two wooden cars (painted them) and a couple key chains. I need to seal them so the paint and glitter are on there good. It was neat to have something to do away from home, like a little vacay. I can't wait for another one of those. Maybe in June we will go camping. That sounds like something to start working on.

*I want to start making a "to-do" list for every day. I lose focus easily every day. Especially when I have me time. I tend to do lots of stuff half way. It's annoying. Then I have more of a mess then before my me time.

*I have been prepping dinners ahead of time and planning meals. It's really nice. Like for this week I am making black bean soup and I already have the veggies chopped for Wednesday. I plan to do this with Colbie's meals as well so I stay organized with what she has tried and what I've made or need to make.

*Averie is really into drawing. She draws so well these days. She draws adorable sunshines and hearts with faces and hair. She also loves playing baby and "hotel." Baylor still follows her around. He has been playing with his cars/trucks a lot lately. He also loves dressing up and playing "hotel" with Averie. They have also both been playing the "lady bug game" by them selves.

SPRING PICTURES

http://www.keenerphotography.blogspot.com/

FIRST CEREAL!

First bite! Hey Mama, what did you give me... this stuff is different...


But, I want more!!!


Let me help...

Hey, is there something on my face?

Isn't my bib so cute?

Hmmm, a spoon. Can I eat it?

FRIENDS!!!!

6 MONTH PICS

6 MONTHS!!!!!

Colbie hanging out. The big kids were playing and she was just watching them.


Lovin her saucer!


This was from a day or two ago. She is able to sit up propped with her hands. Sometimes she face-plants though. But she is getting her back stronger and starting to figure it all out (check out her "focused" face)!


This is her smile. So sweet! Love it!

These are some of the most recent pics I have of her. All from the last couple of weeks. I will take some "official" 6 month pics later today. Colbie is so wonderful. She is a very happy, loving, smiley, content baby. She is so easy to figure out. She goes about her day being held, playing under her play-gym, playing in her crib, lounging in her bouncy seat, playing in her saucer, sitting in her high chair "observing" us eat or sucking on her fingers. She is also very content on her belly to play. Her favorite toys currently - her musical caterpillar, chimes, "pup-pup" (a doggie-blanket-lovie), her Sassy mirror and her black and white Manhattan toy (called Skwish) and anything she can "smack" with her hands that makes noise! She loves drinking out of my water glass (yes, a real cup) and is super good at it. She has tried a sippy cup a few times without a lot of success, but we are about to venture into the world of cereal and sippy cups very, very soon!! She has her check-up next week on Thursday. I expect her to be around 14lbs. (which makes her my peanut still)...

We plan to start cereal after her 6 month check-up. I need to finalize my recipe and make sure I pump enough milk so I can load the cereal with milk for the first several feedings. I think she is ready and will do great with it! Then we will move on to the "first foods." YAY! I am very excited! I can't wait to make her all sorts of yummy foods. On a different note, it is sort of sad! Once she is on food, she isn't a "baby" anymore. I can't believe she is 6 months old. She will also start sleeping in her crib at night soon too. She sleeps through the night 70% of the time(goes to bed at 7:30-8pm and gets up around 7:30-8am [eating at 11pm and 6am typically]). Even when she wakes up at 4am for a feeding so goes right back to sleep afterwards. She also naps at 9:30am, 1:30pm and a short nap at 5:45pm). She loves baths and is a great sleeper. She goes down without crying and can calm herself very easily if she wakes up in the middle of her nap. Rarely do we have to rock her or go in and calm her during her naps/bed. But I do love to snuggle her. She is the kissiest, snuggliest, huggiest most sweet baby (she is more or a snuggler then A or B were at this age). And I love it!