Short & Sweet

Just wanted to post a couple pictures since I haven't taken much lately. I keep meaning to take a picture of her in her high chair. Ever since we stayed in Michigan, we've been using ours at home. She looks like such a big girl and seems to enjoy sitting in it whether it's to eat or to play. These pictures were taken on Sunday. I promised Brandi I'd get a picture of Phoebe in one of the cute dresses she sent her so here they are:

Tonight while giving her a bath, Phoebe had the nerve to poop in the water! Last night she peed in the bathtub. Any advice from you wise parents out there would be MUCH appreciated! She's had a rough couple of nights not sleeping well (which means we don't sleep well) so please pray she gets back on her old schedule. We're not sure if it's a growth spurt or if she's just getting used to all the new foods. Either way, we're still amazed at our little girl. My dad always said that time goes faster once you have kids of your own - I have a feeling we're only just beginning to realize the truth to that!

Life's a Beach!

The week started with a visit from Grandpa Alan - he was on his way to Princeton from Virginia and stopped by to see his newest grandchild. She listened to his stories (he's building a log home) and he got to feed her and put her to bed.

We were supposed to have her six month check up Friday before we left but the doctor wasn't in so we asked if it was ok to start her on something besides cereal. She got her first taste of sweet potatoes and is a fan. She does not, however, enjoy peas. I love peas, so I'm a bit disappointed, but we'll give it a few more tries in a week or two before we give up.

We spent the weekend at Aunt Mary and Uncle Harold's beach home in Sawyer, Michigan. A bit chilly to get in the water, but we did make it out to the lake so Phoebe could experience the beach.

We had great intentions of getting Phoebe showing off her new mastered skill of sitting up. First picture:

The sun was too bright to show off her baby blues but here she is in all her cuteness:

Getting some quality time with Auntie Kate:

Phoebe and Daddy - I think she'll enjoy the water as much as he does.

Phoebe loves her YiaYia and Papouli!

Here she is deep in thought, looking out at the lake, thinking how grand life is...

And here's one of the whole crew:

Our good lookin' boys:

The only thing that went wrong all weekend was the Colts' loss Sunday afternoon. We did make it to her doctor's office today and she weighed in at 15 1/2 lbs. and measured 26.5 inches long. She's in 75th percent for her height and 50th for her weight. She ate all her cereal and an entire jar of sweet potatoes at dinner tonight, so who knows how long we'll stay in the 50s! However, he did tell us that she should manage the 10-11 hours she sleeps at night without the dreamfeed - we're not sure we're ready to give that bottle up, but we'll work on it gradually. I praise the Lord she's a happy, healthy baby. It's hard to believe six months have come and gone since she was born. I stand in awe that He deemed us worthy of being her parents, but I'm so grateful He blessed us with her.

Trip to Tuttle's Orchard

One of my all-time favorite pictures of me as a baby is one of me sitting on a pile of pumpkins, so we headed to Tuttle's Orchard, a place Ryan and I have frequented the last few years. First to try and snap some pictures of Phoebe with pumpkins and also to stock up on apples - really, is there anything better than an apple picked right off the tree?! We told our good friends the Taylor's we were going so they decided to come along. Below are Madison, Travis and Shawn, 5, 4 & 2.

The kids had a blast - there was a pile of hay to jump in, a hay bail maze, tractors to climb on and tee-pees made out of cornstalks. Great fun for the kiddos - we'll certainly have to bring Phoebe as she gets older!

We really had a great time. The weather was gorgeous and people were out in droves, but we got there early enough to beat the rush. There was no pile of pumpkins so we just set her in the dirt and surrounded her with a few. We took home a pumpkin for each of us to sit by our front door. And of course the day wouldn't be complete without an apple slush - yumm-o!

We've been trying to establish a bedtime routine with Phoebe. She's been getting a bath every night and tonight we decided to get a couple shots of her in the "tub" before she outgrows it. I'm not sure how much of a calming effect it has on her - she splishes, splashes and kicks throughout the bath experience and tonight ended up sideways in the tub. I'm sure if I didn't use the Aveeno "calming effects" line, she'd just be wired a few more hours. Afterwards, I give her a little baby massage because really, who doesn't like a massage now and then? Then I feed her and we try to read to her if she's still awake and then say "Now I lay me..."