Visit from Auntie Jill

Aunt Jill came by to visit today, and Paige really enjoyed seeing her. Paige showed her how she can stand at the ottoman and bang on it. Paige also "talked" the whole time Aunt Jill was here...she really had a fun time visiting with her (as you can tell below)! We're both glad that she was able to come by!

Parents as Teachers Visit

Our parent educator, Jeannie, from the North Kansas City School District came for a visit with Paige today. She did the Denver II Developmental Screen with Paige and she passed in all areas (personal-social, fine motor, language, gross motor). Actually, Paige is advanced in her gross motor skills because she is already able to stand up while holding on to something (like the ottoman picture I posted a couple days ago). Way to go Paige!!

Consonant Sounds

Paige is beginning to say consonant sounds. Her first sound was ba, and she has been saying that for about a week. However, this weekend she added two very exciting sounds to her repertoire... on Saturday she said da and on Sunday she said ma. Neil and I were so excited. We can't wait for the day that she can say Mama and Dada and actually associate it with us. She is one step closer...yay!

Storytime

Every day Neil and I try to read at least one book each to Paige. It can seem like such an insurmountable task at times though, because all Paige wants to do is turn the pages or eat the book...I guess that is what babies do!! We are persistent in trying, and we read as much as we can, so that she can get exposure to language and reading.

Here Paige is actually letting her Daddy read a

book while she listens and touches the pages...so cute!

Froggy Friend

Paige has a frog humidifier in her room and she just loves it. At times she becomes completely mesmerized with watching it. Today I stood her up next to it and she actually put her face up in the cool mist...it was funny to watch her reaction...she was a little surprised by the feel of it, but it didn't scare her! Paige just loves to explore!!

Sitting in the Bathtub

Since Paige is able to sit up without support now, we thought we'd give it a try in the bathtub. We have a bear sponge that she usually lays on, so I just sat her up on that to give her a little traction. She loves her new vantage point!! She loves splashing the water with her hands, picking the toys out of the water as they float by, and grabbing the washcloth to suck on...baths just moved way up on the fun meter!!

All smiles!!Playing with the washcloth...and getting ready to put it in her mouth for a little drink!

Here Paige looks as though she was getting ready to climb out of the tub, but she was actually analyzing the surface that she was about to taste.Giving it a little lick!

Welcome Jude

Today our friends, John and Miriam, had a baby boy named Jude. Now they are a family of four because they already had a son named Hudson (he will be three next month). Neil, Paige, and I went to the hospital earlier tonight to visit the family and meet the newest addition. Jude is so cute, but he is not a little guy for his age...he weighed 8 pounds and 13 ounces. Way to go Miriam...and congratulations to your whole family!

Introducing the Sippy Cup

Well, we have tried a couple of sippy cups with Paige...we are hoping this will go a lot smoother than the bottle experience. You know, she never did take the bottle (and that is not for lack of trying. I tried very hard!)...so we aren't sure how this is going to go. Of course, there is no rush for her to master this skill. We have learned how to adjust to life with Paige being a full-time nurser. I will admit that it will be wonderful when she does learn how to drink from a cup though, because I would have the option to leave her for more than three hours at a time.

So, we bought a new Nuk sippy cup for her to try today, that has handles on it, and she seems to like it okay. She "gummed" it a lot and sucked on it a bit, but she doesn't realize that she needs to tip it up. We tried to show her while she was sitting up in her highchair, but then I just laid her in my lap so that she could see that there was actually a reward inside. I am sure that after some exploration each time she eats, she will eventually get the hang of it...she has gotta get it within the next six months! LOL!

Here is Paige trying out her first sippy cup, while hanging out with her daddy!

Yes, it is a little big for her. This is one we already had in the cabinet because we got it for a shower gift. It worked good for an introduction. You can see that she gets the right part in her mouth...she explored with this for quite awhile, actually. Here she is with the Nuk sippy cup. She does a great job holding on to the handles, and it is a better size for her. She does suck a little, but she is more interested in biting down of the soft spout...which does allow her to get a little bit of milk.

First Vegetable

Paige got her first taste of vegetables today. We started out with sweet potatoes. We thought that would be a mild flavor to start out with. Plus, they are a little sweet, so you can't really go wrong with that! I can't say that she loved them though...as you can tell from the photos. However, the doctor and the books say that it takes a few days to get used to new food. So, we'll see...

Paige is thinking, "Hey mom, that doesn't look like my cereal...yummy, give me some!"

The first bite! "UUUHHH...I am not so sure about this stuff!"

"Gosh, how much of this stuff do I have to eat?!

Will I get in trouble if I spit it out?"

Grandparents Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Loethen came to visit again. Paige had a lot of fun playing with them...she was just as excited to see them as they were to see her. Grandpa even brought Paige a gift...she loved playing with the green bow!

...trying to eat the bowPlaying with her grandpa...that icecream bucket

was great for storing things and making noise

(with the wooden spoon).

Just Relaxing...

Today, while I was sorting the laundry, Paige became very interested with what was inside the laundry basket. She was so interested, that she was pulling the side of it down so she could see in. I thought...hmmm, maybe she would like to get in. So, I put her boppy inside, laid her in the middle, put a towel behind her head, and gave her a few toys...do you think she liked it? She looks cozy to me! It is like a homemade Pack 'n Play...only a little smaller!

Here she is stretching out!

Enjoying a good book...she loves to chew (suck) on this one!

Paige is holding my towel for me while I carry the basket back downstairs. Well, she is in the laundry basket...where else would I put the towel? It looks like she is wondering if it is okay to put this in her mouth...and she did!

Standing at the Ottoman

Paige loves to stand up around things now. Here she is standing by the ottoman and giving it a taste every now and then...which she appears to enjoy a lot!

Doctor Visit

Paige's doctor appointment went well today. She now weighs 14 pounds and 11 ounces. So, she almost doubled her weight since birth, and she is in the 25th percentile. She is 26 1/2 inches long (the 75th percentile), and her head circumference is 16 1/2 inches. The doctor says that she is growing great!

Paige got another round of vaccinations today and her first flu shot. She took them like a champ...she did cry but calmed down fairly quickly.

Dr. Marx gave us the okay to go ahead and add fruits and veggies to her diet twice a day, along with her cereal. We are excited to get started. Now what to begin with...that we'll have to think about...maybe sweet potatoes!

Panda Puppets

Paige has four panda puppets, and we have a little Jack and Jill song that I sing to her while dancing them around...she just loves it! She squeals, laughs, and gets her arms flailing every time I get them out and start singing. Here are some cute pictures of her taken while I'm singing with two of the puppets.

Six Months Old Today

Paige has reached another milestone...she is 1/2 of a year old! AMAZING!! These first six months of her life have filled ours with so much joy...from that first time we held her in our arms, to the first day home, the first few weeks of sleepless nights, that first real (social) smile, "talking," laughing & giggling, rolling over, eating solids, and now sitting up!

When we look at our beautiful daughter, we know that God is truly amazing and we feel blessed everyday! We are so excited to see how Paige continues to grow on her journey to one and how she continues to teach us more about life and ourselves! We love our little Paigey Pooh!

Computer Savvy

Paige and I were sitting on the couch next to Neil, while he was surfing the internet tonight, and Paige really took an interest in his laptop. She leaned over his leg, put her hands on the keyboard, and just stared at the screen. It was so adorable that Neil stopped what he was doing and sat the laptop on the couch for her to examine. She was touching the keys and even sliding her hand on the mouse...just imagine how advanced she is going to be compared to our generation (She's not even six months old yet...well, not until tomorrow!)

Gymboree and Eating Out

Today was a super fun day with Paige. Neil and I took her to Gymboree for the first time, and we met our friends Oliver and Susan there. Paige loved playing soccer and laying underneath the parachute. She isn't so great at going through tunnels yet, but that is because she can't crawl just yet. She liked sitting in the tunnels though and just maybe tunnels will give her a reason to crawl sooner!

After we left Gymboree, we went to lunch at Stone Canyon Pizza in Parkville. I decided to see if Paige could sit in a high chair, and she did great. Paige was very excited to be in the high chair...which is way more fun than sitting in her carseat the whole time. Plus, she was able to reach the menu, and she thought that was the best toy she had seen all week...it is much better than the paper that she is always trying to eat because it didn't get all soggy (Thank goodness for lamination!).

While at lunch, Paige even ate some rice cereal (and she had quite an appetite). This was the first time she had eaten at a restaurant (yay!). She is growing into such a big girl!!

Weight Update

We went to group today and Paige got weighed. She now weighs 14 pounds and 6.5 ounces. Paige is going to be 6 months old on Sunday...boy how time has flown by! Her sixth month checkup is on the 15th...more shots (yikes)!

Trying to Learn How to Move!

Well, Paige is trying to learn how to crawl. She has learned how to get her knees in the proper position, but she has no idea what to do with her hands. She starts out by getting herself in a raised push-up, then pulls her knees in, moves them back and forth, and eventually ends up with her face planted in the floor because of the momentum she built up to go forward. Of course, she cries at this point!

Here are a few pictures of her on her hands and tiptoes...she was having a great time at this point. (She had not reached her point of frustration or kissed the floor yet!)

Lunch with Friends

Last Friday, Paige and I went to lunch with some friends that I taught with last year. We had a yummy lunch at The Corner Cafe. It was great to spend time with friends, and Paige always enjoys outings...until she gets tired! Here she is with Sasha, Oliver, and Kari! Susan and Julia were there too, but not in the picture!

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with some of our close friends. Both couples have children, so it made it very easy and fun to get together. The adults were able to hang out and the kids got to play...well, Paige doesn't really play with them yet, but she watches and hangs out...like she is doing here in these pictures with Elle!

Hello Solid Foods!

Paige got to eat rice cereal for the first time on December 27th. It was a fun experience...as you can tell from the pictures!

Christmas in Linn

We spent this Christmas in Linn with the Loethen family! It was a wonderful time...experiencing our first Christmas with our little angel, Paige. Paige and I were with Grandma and Grandpa for eight days, so it was really hard to leave. We always enjoy spending time at their house. Paige always gets lots of extra love and attention (which she is never really lacking) and I get some extra sleep, as well as some adult conversation (thanks Grandma)!

We really had an amazing Christmas to remember...enjoy the pictures!