This and that

I'm in the process of clearing out my camera's memory card in preparation for our vacation next week and found a few random photos of the goings-on around here.

Chillaxin' with Dad.

Marla, just being Marla.

Bouncing with Grandpa.

First time swimming outside! I think she prefers heated pools, but she didn't complain.

Naked baby butt. Is there anything cuter?

She tried a rice cracker for the first time. It was a hit!

She also tried avocado. Don't let that smile fool you... it was most definitely NOT well-received.

Rolling with her homies

Things have been busy around here, thanks to Marla's demanding social schedule. At six months old, I think she's had more play dates in the last week than I've had in the last year. Sheesh.

Following TBTIV, those of us with children decided to initiate a lasting friendship by introducing them to one another at the first annual The Big Trip Junior in Eau Claire! Check out these beauties. I hope they all go to St. Olaf, live in Kittelsby, and perform Paula Abdul at a talent show together someday.

Ella (17 months), Marla (6.5 months), Kendall (14 months):

Over the weekend I made a trip to Minnesota to meet my friend Beth's new baby girl, Emma Lou. She is so tiny and cute, and seeing her sweet little newborn self (and seeing how sleep deprived her parents are) made me realize just how much things have changed in the months since Marla was born. We've come so far!

I can't believe Marla used to be this small! (Well, technically not THIS small, at least outside the womb, but you get the idea.)

My friends Jeff and Natalie were visiting from Florida while I was in Minnesota, so they stopped by with their adorable son, Eden (22 months). I think he sat still for approximately 4 seconds to take this picture, which may be a record for him. I love Marla's grin in this picture. A future love connection, perhaps?

We wrapped up the weekend with a play date with our friends Brian and Darlene's baby girl, Isabella. She's just a month younger than Marla, and the two of them seemed to really hit it off. Look how much fun they're having together!

The Big Trip IV (La Crosse)

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that I published the TBTIII post? Here we are, nine months later and on to TBTIV already. Crazy. 

Anyway, you'll recall that last year's trip was in Vegas. This year's destination was slightly closer to home in La Crosse, Wisconsin (they say La Crosse is the Vegas of Wisconsin, right?). I was grateful for the short drive, as it was my first time leaving Marla for two whole nights. I missed her lots, but had a great time with my Olaf friends.

We went to the beach and spent a lot of time blowing up floaties. Unfortunately, we learned they're not allowed in the water only after they were all inflated. Apparently floaties aren't a good idea on the river. I can't imagine why...

We rented a place in La Crosse called the Bluff View House, which is a Lustron home. If you know anything about Lustron homes, you know that's a pretty big deal. At least for the 12 people it took to make the documentary about them, anyway. The most important thing to know about Lustron homes is that you can forgo wall art in favor of magnets. Cool, right?

I miss these girls so much and am so glad we've established an annual tradition of getting together. Thanks for another fantastic TBT, ladies!

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Within 24 hours of my last post, wherein I mentioned that Marla might never roll from her front to her back, she proved me wrong. She keeps me on my toes, this girl. (Please ignore my hyena-like exclamations in this video... it's just so exciting!)

Half a year

It's official... we have a half-year-old! Unbelievable. We're having such a blast with Marla. She's such a happy, easy going baby. Jeff and I marvel every day about how much of a real little person she's becoming. (I realize all babies ARE real little people, but you know what I mean.)

The doctor says she's "developing beautifully," which of course we already knew, but is nice to hear nonetheless. Her stats:

Weight - 16 lbs (49%)
Length - 26.5 in (74%)
Head - 43.2 cm (69%)

Here are some updates and pictures of six-month-old Marla Rae.

She can sit up on her own well, but still tumbles now and then. Every once in a while I leave the room and come back to find her sprawled face first over a pile of toys, happily slurping away on whatever object she landed on.

She continues to refuse to roll from her tummy to her back, even though she does the opposite so well. I'm ready to accept that it may never happen.

For her, no number of fancy, colorful, noisy, educational toys can live up to a set of real keys and an expensive cell phone. If you come up with a suitable replacement, let me know.

She’s eating solids and loves it! So far we’ve had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and green beans. I’m going to start making some baby food so her palette can be expanded beyond the choices offered by Gerber. Here she is sporting a rice cereal goatee.

Gnawing on some frozen watermelon in a mesh feeder. Yum!

She tried a sippy cup for the first time. Since I never feed her bottles, I had no idea she’d be capable of holding it on her own, but she was a total star. What else is she doing without me knowing it?? Probably composing music or advising the president on foreign policy or something like that.

Still no teeth, but a lot of gumming up everything in sight. The remote control. Her shirt. The dog. My knee. You name it, this kid has chewed on it. Case in point: sucking on her newborn cousin's head.

She discovered consonants! All of her loud, screechy aaaaahhhhhhs, eeeeeeeees, and oooooohhhhhs have been replaced with a constant stream of “babababa,” “papapapa,” and my personal favorite, “mamamamama.”

She hates napping and avoids it whenever possible. However, she consistently falls asleep in the car, most often with a toy stuffed in her mouth. Seriously, check out those cheeks! I swear she's storing acorns in there.

She got more shots at her six month appointment. She only cried for two of the three pokes, and was smiling at the nurse within seconds afterwards. Must be all the extra padding on the thighs. :)

Happy half birthday, Marla! I can't wait for the next six months!



Swimming lessons

Since I'm no longer home with Marla during the day, I decided to enroll her in swimming lessons at the YMCA so we'd have an evening activity together. We've been going for several weeks now and she loves it! The class is for children 3-36 months, but Marla's the only one under two years old. So while the other kids blow bubbles and learn to paddle and kick, Marla spends most of the time trying to eat the kickboards and floaty toys.

The good news is that she likes the water and seems to be getting more and more comfortable in it. In fact, yesterday we actually submerged her completely to see how she'd react. She came up sputtering a bit, but didn't cry. Success! Here are some pictures of our little fish.

All geared up for her first lesson:

Betsy wishing her luck:

"Mom! This is SO MUCH FUN!"

She sits!

Marla has been sitting with support for a while now, but recently I've noticed that she balances on her own really well, which makes my efforts to keep her upright seem less like support and more like hovering. I now let her sit on her own and she's been doing a great job. Yet another milestone on the books. Seriously, Marla, I need a break. Just stay the same for a week or two, PLEASE??!!

Sitting pretty:

Now that she can lean forward like this, the bouncy seat has kind of lost its appeal. This may not be the safest situation: