Happy seven months to you, Baby Girl (a little belated)!

You are sitting up all on your own now. It’s so fun to see your little body balancing itself  so that you can play independently. You’ve always been a little doll baby, but now you’re actually DOING so much! It’s crazy to think back to the first few weeks of your life when you were a little loaf of bread who didn’t do much of anything. When our days and nights were spent meeting your needs to eat and sleep. That was it.

Those hands. We think you’re so excited to be holding on to something that you don’t realize it’s your own hands!

You have a contagious laugh that make us want to play with you and hold you all the time. Sometimes it’s the anticipation of a sound or game like “peek-a-boo” that gets your giggles going. You have the ability to make us laugh, too. You recently started to scrunch up your face and sniff really loud. You must remember our first reaction to this new quirk and now you love to do it to make us laugh.

They say big things come in small packages. We think your petite frame contains a world of wonder, love and laughter.

We did quite a bit of traveling this month – to visit grandparents and friends. You’re a hit wherever you go.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a huge fan of headbands. Now that you’re getting a little more hair, though, I decided to try it out. You’re adorable. No matter what. And there are so many amazing headbands out there for babies these days. Time for Mama to get creative and make you some worthy accessories. The one you have on here is a brown ribbon adorned with a crocheted flower made by your great-grandma, Baba.

Everything continues to go into your mouth – your way of discovering the world around you. You’re very curious to know what’s going on – new sounds and sights always make you turn your head. Keep exploring, Analiese…there’s lots to see and do!

We recently started feeding you dinner at the table when we eat. It’s so fun to have a family meal together and you seem to eat even better when the bites are spread out as we eat our own meal, too. One of my favorite parts about this time is when we hold hands to pray. There’s something about Daddy’s prayer that makes you stop whatever you’re doing (usually trying to drink water out of your cup) and smile  - so big! We pray that God continues to bring you true joy…someday, in Him.

Love, Mama and Daddy

P.s. I almost forgot…you have two little teeth starting to show through! We’ve hardly noticed a chance in your behavior because of this new development. We’ve heard it can be a painful process, but so far you’ve been a trooper!

We’ve tried to keep Parker’s toys separated from Analiese’s as much as possible. In fact, somehow Parker seems to know the difference and steers clear of toys that don’t belong to him. But it’s impossible for him to resist the urge to shake, mangle and de-stuff every single one of his toys. And so far, every single one of Analiese’s stuffed toys has remained in tact and dog-slobber free.

Parker has also sensed that we don’t like his toys to be in reach of our ever-curious, almost seven month old. He’s a very playful dog who loves to play fetch, especially if he finds us on the floor–his playing field. So, what does he do when we place Analiese on the floor to play with her toys? He strategically places his as close to Analiese as possible and then waits for us to throw them away from her. Smarty pants.

P.s. Yes, that is the same frog I vowed to get rid of. It’s still around.

A few of observations:

• The meal was breakfast.
• I think that she thought she was just chewing on another toy, but if you watch her eyes, you’ll see when she realizes this is not just a toy but food!
• Analiese really didn’t know what to do with her tongue. So, she just elected to stick it out. She knows now, and knowing is half the battle.

I know that Parker recently got a whole birthday post, but here he is licking some cream cheese off my Mom’s finger.

From his “puppy cut” hairdo to his spirited greetings of strangers, Parker still gets mistaken for a puppy from time to time. It’s true that he’s held on to many of his puppy-like antics, but in fact, he’s growing up. Parker turned three today and continues to bring our family so much joy. He even makes Analiese laugh from time to time. He’s my company on walks and Ross’s cuddle buddy.

To celebrate, we took a walk to Three Dog Bakery for a treat courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. It happened to be one of the “three dog’s” birthdays over the weekend, so we got a few freebies, too. Parker devoured the sprinkled cake I gave him today. We’re saving the other treats for another day. Parker also played with a new toy. You can see how much fun he had with it.

I also have BIG plans to replace Parker’s frog toy. I seriously can’t wait to get rid of what can only be referred to as the most pitiful looking piece of cloth ever. The “frog” has been without stuffing for well over a year and is missing both arms as well as any semblance of a face. I try to keep it as far away from Analiese as possible, but it’s Parker’s absolute favorite toy. If he’s not playing with it, he’s using it as a pillow. Sometimes we joke about how he must think it’s our favorite toy for him to play with since we tell him to go get it all the time. Unfortunately, we tried to get his new frog today, but the store we went to didn’t have the same one. Once we find it, though, that gross thing is getting pitched. I think Ross might be a little sad to see it go.

Happy birthday, Parker!

When I lived in New York, the rest of my extended family was within a very short driving distance. Family get togethers were frequent. Those are some of my favorite memories as a kid. Now that we have a daughter of our own, it’s time to start making some of those memories with her. She may not remember them yet, but we might as well get some practice in. We’re lucky enough have two sets of very willing parents to help us out.

We enjoyed the company, the conversations, the food and the many opportunities to have our hands free since there were eight others awaiting their turn. Of course, we were never far. With all of her giggles and smiles these days, we were always within camera distance to capture this special time of Analiese with her loving Grandma, Grandpa, Nana and Poppa.

1. The look Analiese is giving Poppa pretty much sums up how she feels about him. His booming, deep voice throws her off a bit, but eventually piques her curiosity and grabs her attention. 2. Grandma and Grandpa just love seeing and holding their granddaughter. 3. SO HAPPY! 4. Mama and baby girl. 5. Nana and Grandma have a lot in common…including their white v-necks and how much they love their grandbaby. 6. What IS this thing you’ve put on me? Can’t you see it doesn’t fit? 7. Pretty girl. :) 8. Daddy is so proud of his little swim baby. (Check out that hand gesture!)

Can’t wait for the next opportunity to have everyone together again!

We have been so busy this month, I almost forgot to write this post. 6 months! One half of a year! We can’t believe you’re this old already. You’ve become so active over the past few weeks. It’s almost hard to keep track of all of your accomplishments, but let’s see what you’ve been up to…

You’re not crawling yet, but you certainly can make your way around a room by rolling all over the place. You are so attentive to whatever is going on around you. Feedings can be easily interrupted by the sound of your Daddy saying goodbye in the morning or Parker shaking his collar around.

You love to play in exersaucers – so many toys and sounds all at once! Your neck, shoulders, arms and legs are becoming so strong! Walks are taken with a big girl stroller and we recently tried out the shopping seat cover for our trips to stores. It’s like a mini couch for you!

You also started sitting up with some support.

You continue to be a mellow, peaceful and happy baby. You’re such a fun shopping buddy for Mama – always so good in the stores, attracting lots of fun attention with your babbling and smiles. A few extra whiny moments have us wondering if you might be teething, but so far there’s no sign of any pearly whites just yet.

It seems like you’re constantly discovering another body part to suck on. Recently, it’s been your toes. We don’t know how you do it, but you manage to get them in your mouth a lot! You’re so flexible!

Although your toes are fun to suck on, your favorite thing to put in your mouth these days is…food! We started you on rice cereal last week and you enjoy it so much! It only took you one or two meals to get the hang of putting your tongue where it needs to be and how to swallow instead of spitting out. Next up…homemade pureed carrots!

You also had your first dip in the lake this month! Your little body in a bathing suit is so cute! You bring us so much joy, Analiese. You’re so much fun to be around and we love to take care of you. On to the next 6 months!

Love,

Mama and Daddy

A couple a weeks ago we went to the lake and a wedding in Fort Wayne. There’s more to come on that, but Parker was busy. Here’s Parker taking a pontoon ride.

Then after a long day of activity, Parker is resting here with my parents’ dog, Millie. She was nice enough to share her pillow with Parker.

And finally, he got a much needed hair cut. Thanks for the help Mom and Dad!

A few weeks ago, Analiese and I headed to Cincinnati for a long weekend. This was my first solo trip with Analiese and she was a gem in the car. She didn’t sleep as long as I would have hoped, but when she was awake, she was a happy baby – talking and sing-songing to herself. It was hard to sit up front with her in the back seat all by herself, but we both made the best of it. We made it to Cincinnati safe and sound – and didn’t run into any shovels along the way!

Being back home without Ross was different. For the first time in a long time, the five Olsens had dinner together. I really enjoyed the extended visit with my family and friends. I always had a set of open arms to hand Analiese off to – Nana, Poppa, Uncle Erik and Uncle Greg all enjoyed spending time with their granddaughter/niece. While in the area, I corralled my Ohio friends for lunch and coffee dates, too.

Ross took advantage of us being out of the house to get some work done. Our house projects seem to take a little longer these days. Loud projects (like chiseling at the concrete sill of a basement window) are stop and go due to Analiese’s naps during the day. I came home to a foundation that is almost ready to paint and a new front door, too! I should go away and come back more often! Nah – we missed H. Ross too much and were happy to be back home again.

We don’t let Parker on our bed ;)