Playing Games

Sophia has added a new trick to her repertoire. She has learned how to play mommy like a violin. Here is how the night goes...

11:00- Put Sophia down in her crib for the night. Creep out of the room. She usually sleeps well for several hours. Then the games begin...
3:00- Sophia whimpers. My ears perk up and I wait, listening for more. Sophia whimpers again, louder this time. I wait. Then she starts crying. I get out of bed and walk to her room. By the time I get there, I peek in the door, and she is out like a light, fast asleep. Looks like she hasn't moved in hours. I go back to bed.
3:12- Repeat previous step
4:00- Repeat again
4:05- And again
4:20- I wait longer this time after she starts whimpering. I wait until she is crying for a minute. Go to her room. Guess what? Silent as a lamb. Out like a light.
4:30- Repeat all steps throughout the remainder of the night until I give up on trying to sleep, and just get up.

Now people, it literally is 10 STEPS from my bedside to hers. How she accomplishes this new trick baffles me. In fact, on one of my trips back to my bed last night, I actually considered the possibility that the moniter next to my bed is no moniter at all. It is a pre-recorded tape player.

Natalie Ann

Congratulations Sarah and Aaron on the birth of their baby girl, Natalie Ann.
Head over to Erin's blog for all the stats.
We went to visit Natalie this afternoon. She looks like her momma! Sophia wanted to meet her new friend! Here are some photos of our visit.

The happy new family

Look at all that hair!!! I just want to brush it and put barretts in it!

Sophie meeting her new friend for the first time. They really hit it off!

Natalie and Sophia, friends since Day #1

I already forgot how tiny they are!!

My Little Secret

(click on photo to view larger)

I am finally ready to share with the world the secret behind my babybody-bounce-back success. I must admit that I have been hoarding this dirty little secret to myself, but now it is finally time to let you all in on my secret formula. My favorite flavor is the Kahlua.

Apologies

There are so many new developments to share! Sophie has been surprising me everyday with new accomplishments. I am so proud of her. This week in the news...

• Anytime she is laid on her back, she cranks her head up, basically doing a tummy crunch, trying to get up. With only a little help, she can pull herself upright when holding our fingers. She is a very strong little girl.

• She is learning how to swim! She has always been comfortable in the water, and loves bath time. But this week Jared has been giving her baby swimming lessons by dipping her face in the water for half a second. She usually holds her breath or blows bubbles. I am so happy that Jared does that with her, because it makes me too nervous. I want her to be comfortable in the water though, since I was terrified of water until I was eleven. In honor of her progress, we bought her first swimsuit this week. Grandpa and Gram want to take her to the "Y" to swim.

• She is really getting her hand/eye coordination down! When she sees something she is interested in, she can usually grab it. It has been very exciting watching her make this connection. Going along with that...
  
  
• ...she is becoming very interested in food. Her eyes follow my food as it travels from my plate to my mouth. She is just starting to grab at it as it goes by.
  
  



• She started playing in her exer-saucer. She is strong enough now to keep herself upright in it. She started out by just moving her legs a little, and spinning herself slowly in it. Now, however, she is a seasoned saucer queen. She grabs at the toys, bounces herself up and down, and spins, all while talking and shrieking in delight.

• Gram and Gramps Norquist have a walker that she tried out this week. Her feet touched the ground perfectly and she figured out how to scoot herself forwards and backwards all around the kitchen and living room! She was so excited to be able to move on her own. Mommy and Daddy were VERY proud.

• And finally, she slept in her crib for the first time last night! She has been in a bassinet by our bed up until now. She is getting to be such a big girl, and slept all by herself in her own room.

A Peek Into Our Daily Life

It is so fun to watch Sophia as she makes new discoveries every week. She has become very observant and can pick my face out of a crowd now. When there are several people standing around her, she scans the faces and when her eyes come to rest upon my face, she hesitates and smiles. That makes me feel so special.
She is also beginning to take interest in grabbing things. If we hold a toy up in front of her face, she will try to reach out and grab it. Her depth perception is still a little off, but she trying!
Another exciting development is that Sophie can sit up when she is supported! So many nights, she sits next to us on the couch while we eat dinner.

Our big girl, sitting in the rocking chair.
Bundled up and not able to move an inch!
Rocking my girls at naptime
Sophie cuddling her teddy

Dirty Mouth? Clean it Up!

For a Good Clean Feeling, No Matter What!

If their motto is true, then my baby needs some Orbit gum! She got dirty nuk mouth after we gave her a liquid vitamin supplement. I stuck her nuk in her mouth right after squirting the liquid in her mouth, hoping she would suck it down while sucking on her nuk. She is talented. She managed to spit out the liquid while continuing to suck on her nuk... resulting in dirty, sticky nuk mouth.

Sophia displaying dirty nuk mouth

Sophia thinking dirty nuk mouth is no big deal

Paparazzi, ugh.

Playtime With Daddy