Seven and Eight

Yes, yes, I know that Lydia turned 8 months (how is that even POSSIBLE?!?!?) this weekend, and I STILL haven't posted any of her recent milestones!

Well. Here it goes! :)

In the past month and a half, Liddy has really increased the different types of foods she's tried, as well as her ability to be active! The girl is CRAWLING now. Unbelievable!! A whole new world has opened up to her....and she's LOVING it! Unfortunately, this also means that she has to learn what the word "no" means. We're working on it.... ;)



This is the closest thing to her crawling that I've captured on film! :)

I didn't think that Liddy had lost any of her chubbiness in her cheeks until I was looking back at pictures from when she was 4 and 5 months old recently. And she definitely has! I think with all her crawling and endless energy, she's burning off the chubbiness! So sad.... :(

Lydia sort of understands playing peek-a-boo now, and loves to pull the blanket off of her head when you toss it on top of her. She also has mastered kneeling in her crib, and the first thing I see in the morning these days is her little downy head peeking up at me over the crib rail! Ha! :)

Also, she sucks her thumb ALL the time now. I'm hoping she outgrows it eventually so we don't have to teach her that you can't suck your thumb for your whole life! But for now, it's fine. And I must say, she looks ADORABLE with that little thumb in her mouth! :)


See what I mean??

A few days ago, Liddy even pulled herself up to a STANDING position using our small chest where we store our remotes and the coffee table. I was absolutely stunned. I thought it was a fluke, until I saw her do it several more times today!! YIKES!

As well, she had her 6 month pictures taken (though now it's practically time to schedule her 9 month pictures!!) by my wonderful SIL Melissa Laska at MEL Photography. I'll share a few of my favorites from that session, as well as a few other random smiling ones. Enjoy!! :)

 

Smirk!



My lil' Sweet Pea



In awe :)



Half a Year

This Sunday, my baby turns 6 months old!! How can this be possible? I feel like it was just yesterday that we saw her downy little head peeking out from the hospital blanket as she was placed in our arms. How time flies...



The first time we saw our little girl

I remember when...

....Liddy's whole body would scrunch up when you'd pick her up from her papasan chair...

Here's her scrunched up newborn look! This was the day after we brought her home.

....She still fit into her moses basket...

....We still had the head guard attached to her car seat...

I can't believe how bald she looks here! :)

....Lydia would fall asleep on my shoulder before I even realized she was tired...

....Her vocabulary consisted of soft coo's and hunger cries (she's definitely figured out how to be loud now!)...

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It's crazy the ways that Lydia is growing and changing! Here are some of the things she's up to these days:

• Lydia can roll over! Mainly from her back to her tummy, though we have caught her going from front to back a handful of times. (Unfortunately, this new-found skill means that she wakes herself up often from naps or in the middle of the night from rolling in her sleep! :P)
• We started cereal for the first time on July 4th and haven't looked back since. She now eats it for breakfast and lunch and does a pretty good job of keeping it all in her mouth! :)



First time eating cereal!!



Liddy likes to play with toys in her high chair!

• Lydia loves her Baby Einstein activity center (she can jump in it and play with toys!) as well as her Jenny jump up. She loves to stand and watch Quincy walk around!



Such a happy girl!

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• Standing tall!

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• Speaking of Quincy, I don't think he's ever had such a #1 fan! He is a constant source of entertainment for our Ditty, and she loves to grab his fur and tries to put his nose in her mouth if he's close enough! (Gross!)
• Her hair is really starting to thicken up. I'm sure it won't be long before she's got long raven locks! :)
• Our "quiet" little girl has definitely found her voice! She loves to blow raspberries (constantly!!) and on certain days loves to squeal and "growl" just to hear her own voice. :) She's also developed what Joe and I refer to as her complaining, where she does a low-pitched vowel sound with furrowed eyebrows....makes us laugh every time!!

Peeking out from the cute sun hat her Gamma gave her!

 

We're amazed daily at the gift of joy we have in Liddy, and we love watching her learn and grow!!

 

Our precious gift!

4 Months!

Today my baby turns 4 months old. Is it possible that she's really this old already? One third of the way to being a year old?!?! That's just pure craziness!! Lydia will now have been home with us for as long as she was away from us in Bridge Care! It's kind of an exciting thought for me :)

Anywho....lately Liddy has been wanting to be in a sitting position more often, and she's really starting to be able to hold herself up in her Bumbo chair and reach for toys dangling in front of her! She loves to have her feet massaged with Baby Magic lotion, and is really beginning to follow us throughout the room with her eyes! She definitely seems to notice when we come and go and responds to our voices when we're in groups of people.

I just love her so much. :)

Here are some of her 3 month pictures as promised...though they're now a month old...but better late than never, right? Enjoy!!

(All pictures courtesy of MEL photography)



Doesn't her smile just melt your heart?? :)



"I am SUCH a diva..." :)



Pooped.



This is exhausting...but I guess I'll *try* to smile...

The orange blanket is a special prayer blanket made from my good friend Kelli!

...Beautiful...

Exhausted!

Thank you so much, Melissa for taking all the gorgeous pics! You rock!! :)

Itty Bitty Liddy

Now that the whirlwind of the last 3 weeks has subsided....I feel like we're finally getting into a little bit of a schedule with Lydia, so I thought I'd share how we're doing as a family so far.

First of all....Lydia is a fantastic baby! We are so incredibly blessed! She is very content most of the time, and has even been sleeping through the night! Wow!

She loves her daddy and will almost immediately smile when she sees him. She's begun to interact with us more when we talk to her, and she'll smile and coo back at us. Soooo fun!! Liddy loves her play mat, and has just begun to bat at the toys dangling above her, as well as study different patterns and colors.

But her favorite thing above all else, is bath time!! She's a little spa girl, and completely relaxes as soon as her body hits the warm water. :)



Smiling Spa Girl! :)

All bundled up in her baby robe! :)

As far as bonding goes.....we are totally and completely bonded. I can't imagine life without her!! She is so perfect in so many ways, and I am loving being a mom even more than I thought was possible! God is sooo good!!

Here's some more "eye candy" for you to feast your eyes on....hope your weekend is beautiful! :)

First Walk! Daddy's so proud :)

Check out this STINKIN' ADORABLE hat that Joe's Aunt Judy made Liddy....it sure keeps her warm in the wind!

This was the outfit she wore for her first Sunday at church. She was adored by everyone!

Gamma snuggles!

Taken just this morning....our lil' cupcake is gettin' big!!

She melts my heart...  :)