Slacking adds up!!

From this..... (2 weeks old....)

















to this....  (5 & 1/2 months)

Hard to believe she has grown this much already!! Sometimes it seems as if we just brought her home the other day, but in 2 weeks, she will be a whopping 7 months old!! Before we know it, Brian and I will be planning her 1st birthday party!!



I know I went a little overkill on the pictures with this posting, but she has just kept me so busy that I haven't had a chance to keep up!! So I am trying to make up for some missed time. Don't get me wrong.. I enjoy spending time with her far more than keeping up a blog. (But this blog is also important to me because some day she will be able to look back on this and see how things were and what milestones she reached when.) So please forgive me if it seems a little overwhelming. Believe me, I would keep up if I only had the time!! There's just so much fun to be had with sweet little Melanie!! (Not to mention the hubby, the house, the yard, Vandal, etc. :)


It's a block party!!
My mom bought her these ABC blocks and she absolutely loves them!! Loves to see them fall off of the exersaucer, that is! She has been learning permanence. It is pretty entertaining to watch her push the blocks, and whatever else we can fit on the tray, right off the edge. She gets it so close, then gives it a little shove to send it over the edge, then she leans as far as she can to try to see where it went. These blocks were the perfect addition to her toy collection. Thanks Mom.























She is more than happy about her mess
















So innocent...

































We got a happy one on our hands!!
I keep wondering when the hard part starts!! Sure each day there are a marathon of things to do, but time is really the only challenge I have had to face so far. Melanie is happy with whatever we do!! Going for a ride in our big truck to the store, riding in a shopping cart or stroller, playing with her toys, rolling the ball with Brian and I... she is happy wherever we go!
The only time she gets fussy is when her teeth start to bother her. She is teething again so she has been waking up at night. Some teething drops and milk and she's back to bed.






Weeeeeee!!




















Trying to drink the bath water..
She thinks it's funny to drink the bath water now. She gets really still and turns her head, then once she gets a drink, she kicks her legs and splashes so big! She is so entertaining!!














































One of her favorite "toys"
















Auntie Shirley!! We love you!
We got to spend some time with Auntie Shirley, finally!! Her and Jerome came by for a few hours a couple of weeks ago. It was a true test of my ability to stay awake!! I have not stayed up past 11 in I don't know how long!! I didn't see the back of my eyelids til 2 that night!! Needless to say, the morning came too soon! I remember when pulling an all nighter and getting up bright and early was no big deal! Not anymore!! Melanie has been on a pretty good sleeping routine lately, so I decided to jump on the wagon with her. Early to bed, earlier to rise. (She gets to take naps, I don't!)






Look what the Easter Bunny brought!!
On Easter, we woke up to find that the Easter bunny had paid her a little visit! He left her a bucket full of empty eggs and a little pink bunny! This was also the day she turned 6 months AND decided that she was going to be a sitter. She did quite well too, I might add. It was like she had been doing it her whole life.. She never ceases to amaze us!










What's this?!
















Cheese, Daddy!
















Tags are a fave too!!




















1st time on the grass
It was such a beautiful day (on Easter) that we sat outside on the grass for a while. It was her very first experience sitting on just the grass, no blankie. At first she wasn't too sure what to think, but she soon decided it was pretty fun to play with. You can see it in the video below.
Of all the times I have sat her in the grass, she has pulled it but NEVER tried to eat it!! (Thankfully!!) She loves to be outside. I can't wait to take her camping and swimming!!













1st day sitting up... 6 months old













































Michelin baby!!

















Oops!!





















Her "shake-shaker" makes a good chew toy!
We had Easter dinner with Grampa Larry and Roger. (Great food, as always!) She just sat there and played with her toys the whole time!! She thinks it's a good idea to chew on the end of her little maraca that I got her. Me, not so much. She is pretty safe with it. But all it takes is one time- falling forward with it in her mouth. The worries of a Mommy.
All in all it was a pretty good day!! She got to play with Grampa, who she thinks is pretty neat these days!













































Observing things at Grampa's house



































Look, no hands!!
She loves to drink out of my cups! It's always a shocker when the water is a little cold, but none the less, she is ready for a big slobbery sip. I have ended up wearing my fair share if water just trying to get a drink. She reaches for the cup and I end up spilling it on myself.










Playtime with Grampa!!
















Grampa= Fun time!!
















BaNaNaS!!
I started her on fruits and she absolutely loves them!! I have found that if I mix apples in with her meats, she eats 'em all up! I don't blame her one bit. I personally try everything I feed her and those meats aren't exactly a real treat.
She eats really well. I have mastered all the tricks to getting her to eat certain things. We eat every day with Daddy when he comes home for lunch and we eat dinner as a family every night. She really does a lot better with us there than when we were just feeding her.







Friends (He loves her!!)
















Story time with Daddy!
Nothing like some good ol' Cat in the Hat with Daddy! She really pays attention whe it's reading time. Especially when it's the Cat in the Hat. I can say now that I know the book by heart, having read it numerous times over the last 6 months! There are other favorites too. But none are as captivating as this one. ABC is a good runner up though.










Good morning, Horton
After a week of being woken up night after night tdue to an extreme wiggler, I took the side wedges (meant to hold her in place-but failing miserably!!) out of her crib. Well, this was what I <------ got in return. A little lady sideways in her crib, just having a regular morning conversation with good ol' Horton the elephant.Needless to say, the crib was stripped of all but the mattress and sheet that day. She has decided that she needs to sleep on her tummy. Yes, I lost a lot of sleep over that! Constantly waking up to check on her, tilting her head to the side, checking her breathing, etc. I have since learned to relax, though. I have learned to accept the fact that she is just more comfortable on her tummy and she will do just fine. I am proud to announce that she will be moved to her own room in a couple of weeks- after we get back from Utah!! At which point I will, more than likely, lose even more sleep for the first week or so, until I learn to relax yet again. Oh, the milestones of motherhood!


Peek a boo!




















Wiggle worm!
















Pool party
Considering the weather climbed to a scorching 80 some degrees, we got her a little baby pool. We let the sun warm it up a bit, along with some hot tap water, and set her in it to splash away. She had a good time!! It was even fun drying off afterwards. She is already a fish just like me.










Soaked!






































This was neat!
















a close up...
















Ok Mommy, give me my toy back.
















Such a big girl!
















She is too cool! (Love the pic of Brian....)
















She is so silly!
Every day is such a good day with little miss Melanie around!! She has learned so many new things and she is so amazing!! She really is a goof ball!! She does the funniest things and she can have you in tears laughing!! We never know what she will do next and we are always cracking up at her new faces and sounds! Hard to believe it has been almost 7 months already! But it has been the funnest most rewarding 7 months of our lives!!
She is constantly learning and I find myself also learning new things because of her. She has taught me a lot about myself and about the way I see the world, and the things I have done. And here I thought I was teaching her!!




She makes us laugh!!

The more things change, the more behind I get!!

Sleeping through some.... teething
Ok. Let's see. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Melanie started to get a runny nose. Then her eyes were watery. Oh no. Not another cold! The last thing she needed was to deal with that crap again! But it seemed so much worse this time. She looked as miserable as can be. But she acted as if it was just another beautiful day. So happy. Laughing, jumping being her joyous self.
Nap time was the hard part. She was so congested from all the fluid that I mostly held her while she slept to keep her upright and make sure she was breathing ok. She would try and try to breathe through her nose but it just wasn't working.
Meanwhile, I'm feeling so bad for her. Wondering if it's allergies since we had been out walking the past week or so. Maybe allergies from some food. Who knows. All I knew was that I would have gladly traded her places in a heart beat.
The first night, she fell asleep and after a couple of hours, when I went to check on her, she was having a very hard time breathing. Made me very uneasy! I thought if I slept with her next to me, I could monitor her a little better. Well, shortly after she fell asleep, she woke up crying because it was so hard for her to breathe. After going through this for about half an hour, I had to try something else. For her sake. Ok. Maybe mine too. I needed my rest just as much as she did, so I decided the best thing was to stick her in her glider. Worked like a charm!! Thank goodness! She seemed comfy and she slept all night. So for a couple of nights, she slumbered away in that thing. Whatever it takes to get some sleep. I'm not sure I would consider it "sleep" that I got though. Constantly waking to check on her and wipe her nose with a warm cloth. Like I said, I would have GLADLY traded places with her.

Ugh... poor girl.
It was a rough couple of days for us! I just kept praying it would get better soon and she wouldn't be stuck with it for a week like last time. (although she wasn't this bad the last time.) Even eating her cereal and veggies was a hard one to get through. But she proved to be a champ, like always.










Daddy's 1st time feeding her

















Stuffy... makes eating a little tough

















The aftermath: 2 little chompers
Fast forward to Sunday, the 22nd. I was giving her a bath and I went to wipe her gums with the wash rag as I normally do and what.... Are those... oh. Wow. Teeth! I was so excited that I called Brian into the bathroom to show him. I couldn't believe it!! There were 2 little tiny teeth poking out of my baby girls cute little gums.
I cried. I realized how fast she is growing up!! I never believed people when they told me just how fast it flies by. But my goodness. There she was. With two teeth. Not even 6 months old.
Our beautiful baby girl is growing into a big girl faster than we ever thought possible!
So that's what was causing all the misery. Teething. The watery eyes, the amazingly abundant amount of snot. And of course, the drool.
And here I thought that teething would be more like constant crying and crankiness!! Not with Melanie. Just give her some stuff to chew on and she will sail right through it. Excessive fluid and all!!
We truly are blessed to have such a healthy, happy beautiful little girl!! It has never been a rough experience for us. Only fun and exciting every single day! I have even been sleeping through the night since she was about a month old!



Helping Daddy blow out the candles
Brian's birthday was on the 24th. We had a quiet little night in with some cake and presents. It was sweet to see her attempting to help Brian with everything. She really is a smart girl. Very eager to learn and try new things. We are gonna have our hands full all too soon!










She likes peas!!
Finally!! A veggie she likes! Carrots and sweet potatoes aren't exactly at the top of her list. Squash is tolerable... in her cereal. But peas are just fine by themselves. Even green beans are ok. We will start meats next week. It's so exciting introducing her to new foods!!
The expression on her face is always priceless too.
She already thinks she should just feed herself. I'd have to say she is pretty dang good with the spoon! Cleaning her up is fun too. She gets excited when I run the water to get the rag wet to wipe her off. She knows what comes next. It is so amazing!





Goofy girl




















It's ok. I 'll get it, Mom
















So close...
















Chubby cheeks





















Where did she go?
Some of her favorite time is the time we let her streak before jumping in the tub. This may be a decision that comes back to bite us when she gets a little older and mobile. Chasing a naked baby around the house...
The dogs like to relax with her too. Vandal is so gentle with her. When we turn our backs, he sneaks in some of his big face kisses. You can always tell this is happening by her laughter. She gives it away every time.
Vandal cuddles up with her every chance he gets. She "pets" him, which he loves. Any attention is good attention for him. With the exception of ear pulling. Which she has done a few times. He just cries.
He is patiently waiting for her to be big enough to play. He tries to give her his toy, but she just laughs at him. Pretty soon, they'll be inseparable. Those will be some fun times.


Buddies


















Hittin the Nature Center
Last weekend, we decided we were going to hit the zoo. After having it planned out and official all week long, Saturday arrives. And with it-rain. Just our luck. We headed to Boise anyways, thinking it just may clear up. We try to keep the optimism up around here, even in the spring.
We decided to look at some vehicles while we were out, since we finally narrowed it down to what we wanted. (After the headache of looking for about a month now.) We looked. Killed some time. Decided on some Moxie Java and the Nature Center. It's free! So I was pretty excited about it.
It is so cool that we have something so educational and family friendly, (and did I mention free?) around here! And the best part is that it is never the same place!! It changes with the seasons. I think it is a wonderful way for our daughter to learn that things change, but still remain the same. And nature is something that is very important to us. Since we plan on being an off your butts kinda family, may as well give her an early start.
She loved it there! The black bear in the visitor's center stands so big and tall to her. She just laughed at it for the longest time. She probably would have laughed at it all day if we would have stayed all day. It is kind of nice that she is so easily entertained, sometimes!


Sippy cup.. check. Let's roll





















Not right now guys. I'm watching that duck.
















BIG fish!!
These trout were so big! She didn't notice them at first, but when she finally did, she just kept reaching for them. More and more would come and she was loving every second of it! If she could have touched them, I'm sure she would have tried to eat them. But she kept gently touching the glass. I wonder what she was thinking. These things were as big as she was!










She wanted to get them
















They just kept coming back for more
















My two loves
We took a little break to look at the river and serve her some "lunch." It was such a beautiful day. So warm and peaceful. Just the three of us. No rush. No agenda. Just going with the flow. We had so much fun watching Melanie take it all in. We decided this would be our bi monthly, if not weekly, family outing. Although I think we will attempt to hit the zoo as well. She is already an animal lover, just like us.
It's just such a good feeling to get away from the chaos of the fast pace of everyday living. Nothing is more important than family. And nothing makes my day like spending some quality time with my husband and beautiful baby girl.









Love this picture





















Big day. Let's take a nap now