8 Months....

Wow! 8 months. I cannot believe how fast time is going by! I know I say the same thing every month, but it is crazy that I have an 8 month old. It feels like we were just sitting at home timing contractions, bringing her home, giving her her first bath, etc.

It also amazes me how fast they learn things. I've loved watching Reese figure things out. From how her hands work, to rolling over, scooting, sitting, how to catch her balance when she starts to tip over, and her latest, how to pull herself up on EVERYTHING.

Here's the scoop:

-Weighs around 14.5 lbs...However, she still fits in the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in!
-Loves being outside, but hates the sun in her eyes.
-Started crawling about a week ago. Now she is everywhere!
-She has finally perfected moving from laying down to sitting up on her own.
-Pulling herself up. Loves to do this in her crib and suck on the bars. We love going in her room and seeing her cute face peering over the top. However, it was a sad day lowering the mattress.
-Loves cords, playing with mom’s hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes.
-Has become quite the mama's girl.
-She's still a super happy baby. (With the exception of a few days last week when she was extra clingy and whiny. Let's just say I had a minor meltdown, but have since recovered. Seriously, I told Brady I didn't know if I could have any more children.)
-Likes feeding herself. It's so funny to watch, she usually gets about 1/4 of the food in her mouth. The rest of it goes in her highchair and bib.
-Likes to give herself "kisses" in mirrors, glass, the oven door....anything smooth or that she can see her reflection in.
-Eats everything! Most recently the bow in her hair. It came out in her diaper several days later.
-L-O-V-E-S when Dad comes home at night. When she hears the door, she's looking everywhere for him. When she can finally see him, she gets a HUGE smile and starts kicking her legs like crazy!
-Food she goes crazy for: Avocado and Rice Krispies

More Spring...

Here are some spring shots from around the neighborhood.

Warm Weather!

Thankfully, spring came earlier to Chicago than it did last year. We've had some great weather (a few days in the 80's!) and we've been outside taking advantage of it! Hence the lack of blogging.

Reese and I strolled down to Grant Park one afternoon and she experienced grass for the first time. There was some hesitation, but after the initial feel, she loved it. And by loved it, I mean she wanted to eat it. Now every time we go to a park and put the blanket out, she crawls right over to the grass and tries to pick it.

We headed to the Garfield Park Conservatory back in March. It was a fun way to spend a cold, spring day. Plus, it's free, which is always a plus, and there is an El stop right outside.

advice?

So...I'm thinking about trying to make my own baby food for the kidlet. Anyone out there have any advice?

Just Keep Swimming....

I took Reese swimming for the first time today. Our friend has an indoor pool in her building, so a few of our friends got together for a swim play date. Reese loves taking baths, so I thought she'd like the pool. Initially, she was a little unsure. I think the water felt a little cold. But once she got used to it, she had fun. She was kicking her legs and liked to be on her stomach. She only lasted about 20 minutes, but we had fun. Thanks Morgan!

Also, I'm grateful for all the friends we've made since we moved to Chicago. I was nervous about moving here, having a baby, and not knowing anyone. Luckily, we've met some great people and it's been so nice having friends to get together with during the week. It definitely adds to my day to have some adult conversation!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We had our first glimpse of Chicago's St. Patrick's Day celebration last weekend. St. Pat's is a pretty big deal here. There are a couple of big parades, various cultural celebrations, and of course the dyeing of the Chicago River. My mom was in town, so we headed out to go check out the river.

The river was very cool to see. It's amazing how green they get it! I knew it was a big day for partying...but it was pure craziness. Everyone was decked out in green. (I'm festive! Check out my coat!) At 2 pm we saw TONS of people completely drunk, barely able to walk down the street. Pretty much every garbage can was overflowing with beer cartons, cans, bottles, etc. Every bar we walked past was packed!

While my mom was here, Reese figured out the army crawl. The girl is fast! And determined. If she sees something she wants, she goes after it and nothing will stop her. She can get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. She can't quite figure out the arm thing though, but I'm sure she'll figure it out soon enough. And I'm scared. I told Brady we're getting some sort of cage/fence apparatus.

The last pictures are of Reese last Sunday. She is wearing my blessing dress.

Six Months

We took Reese in for her 6 month check-up today. Here's the latest stats on our little lady:

13 lbs 2 oz (5-10th percentile)

26 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

This is definitely such a fun age. She is so much fun to interact with and is generally all smiles. Naps are still short and unpredictable, but we're working on it. To make up for the lack of sleep, we've started putting her to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm. For the struggle she puts up to stay awake during the day, nights are a breeze. Sleeping at night is definitely her thing...she lays right down and we generally don't hear her until 6-7 AM.

She has really started scooting around the last couple weeks. She has the feet part figured out, it's just the arms that she hasn't quite got the hang of yet. It's pretty funny to watch her push herself forward with her head on the ground. She has also figured how to push her self up onto her toes and hands into plank position. We're going to be doing yoga together before soon! The sitting is coming along as well. She'll go 10-20 seconds of sitting on her own before she gets distracted by something and leans forward to grab it.

We started solids a few weeks ago and she is digging it (mostly). Once we had the cereal thing down, we advanced to veggies. Sweet potatoes and carrots were a success. The first time we attempted peas, she literally gagged. Sad, but funny. We tried again the next night and she was much better. You can tell she doesn't love them, but she'll eat them.

I can't believe that half a year has already gone by! I feel like she is still so little, but looking at pictures and seeing newborns makes me realize that she is quite (relatively speaking) grown up! It's amazing all the learning and growing that goes on in the first several months. Even though we have our rough days, I feel very blessed to be able to spend my days with Reese.