Pray for Peas

Laurel has continued to pretty flat out refuse solids. We've done bananas, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and now peas. She will occasionally accept a bite, but for the most part she gets lock jaw and gags.

Tonight we tried peas for the first time. She is really into grabbing at everything right now, so she kept trying to get the spoon. After about five minutes of trying to put peas into a slammed-shut mouth, I suggested letting her hold the spoon. So Tim would get a little bit on the end of the spoon and then let her grab a hold of it. He would keep ahold of the end of the spoon, but let her guide it into her mouth. We were both shocked when she opened up and just put the spoon right in. She still made a few faces, but she ate much more than she's ever eaten before.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a million more times before Laurel is grown, but parenting demands improvisation. Before she was born, I thought I could learn everything I needed to know about parenting from books. Believe me, parenting is the ultimate on-the-job-training.

While Laurel's not too crazy about eating solids, she LOVES bathtime. Tim and I usually switch off giving her a bath (she usually takes 3 a week). She loves to splash and squirm. Lately, she's been standing up and holding onto the side (usually so she can talk to one of our cats.)


And daddy styled her hair a la Bozo.

First Walk in the Ergo

We finally got an Ergo baby carrier, so tonight we took our first walk. Laurel started on my back and fell asleep within ten minutes. She napped for about 45 minutes and then woke up when we stopped to visit a neighbor. She did really well both in the back and front carry.

Beach Babe

Tim and I love visiting the ocean, and we hope that it is a love that we can share with Laurel. So on Monday, we took her to Folly Beach, SC. She did amazingly well (even when she got splashed in the face with a pretty big wave). However, after eating, she was too distracted by the wind and other people to settle down and take a nap, so we didn't get to stay very long.
Today (August 12th), Laurel had her six month checkup and shots. She did pretty well with the shots and has been only moderately fussy today. She weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces, which put her in the 75th percentile for girls her age, and she was 26 inches long, which is the 50th percentile. Her head measurement was in the 80th percentile, so I'm glad to know that her brain is getting nice and big!

She did quite well on the trip back from Charleston, but I think we're all glad to be back home for awhile.

I have a sister!

My little brother Daniel got married Saturday. It was a gorgeous wedding with a gorgeous couple. Tim and I were in the wedding party and had a wonderful time. Laurel had a blast and was the second prettiest girl there (next to the beautiful bride, of course). It was one of the most fun weddings I've been to, and I'm so glad to get a sister out of the deal.

Daddy picked out the hair accessory for our sweet girl.
Aren't they adorable?
C-L-E-M-S-O-N
Look at the white girl jump!
Yes, I was crying a little.

Wedding, and then the Beach!

Laurel will be getting a new aunt on Saturday when my brother Daniel marries his college sweetheart, Amy. We are so excited to welcome her into the family, and I know this weekend will be lots of fun. We're heading to Greenville, South Carolina, where they will be getting married downtown by the riverside.

Sunday is mine and Tim's sixth wedding anniversary, so we are going to stay with a friend in Charleston for a few days. (Plus, we visited Charleston while on our honeymoon). It seems unbelievable that we've been married that long. It has been a very happy six years and has gone by so quickly. It will be so special seeing my little brother get married, and I know it will bring back so many wonderful memories of my own wedding more than half a decade ago.

I cannot wait to see what Laurel thinks of the ocean and the sand. She loves water in a bath or pool, but this will be such a new experience. I hope she loves it as much as her parents do.

My baby brother Aaron came back from Florida a few days ago and will be staying at mom and dad's until he returns to school in September. Here's a shot of him and Laurel getting reacquainted.

And here's Laurel sitting up (her new favorite skill) and playing with Pink Poodle, one of her favorite toys. Couldn't you just eat up those chubby little arms?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Pray for Peas

Laurel has continued to pretty flat out refuse solids. We've done bananas, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and now peas. She will occasionally accept a bite, but for the most part she gets lock jaw and gags.

Tonight we tried peas for the first time. She is really into grabbing at everything right now, so she kept trying to get the spoon. After about five minutes of trying to put peas into a slammed-shut mouth, I suggested letting her hold the spoon. So Tim would get a little bit on the end of the spoon and then let her grab a hold of it. He would keep ahold of the end of the spoon, but let her guide it into her mouth. We were both shocked when she opened up and just put the spoon right in. She still made a few faces, but she ate much more than she's ever eaten before.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a million more times before Laurel is grown, but parenting demands improvisation. Before she was born, I thought I could learn everything I needed to know about parenting from books. Believe me, parenting is the ultimate on-the-job-training.

While Laurel's not too crazy about eating solids, she LOVES bathtime. Tim and I usually switch off giving her a bath (she usually takes 3 a week). She loves to splash and squirm. Lately, she's been standing up and holding onto the side (usually so she can talk to one of our cats.)


And daddy styled her hair a la Bozo.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

First Walk in the Ergo

We finally got an Ergo baby carrier, so tonight we took our first walk. Laurel started on my back and fell asleep within ten minutes. She napped for about 45 minutes and then woke up when we stopped to visit a neighbor. She did really well both in the back and front carry.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Beach Babe

Tim and I love visiting the ocean, and we hope that it is a love that we can share with Laurel. So on Monday, we took her to Folly Beach, SC. She did amazingly well (even when she got splashed in the face with a pretty big wave). However, after eating, she was too distracted by the wind and other people to settle down and take a nap, so we didn't get to stay very long.
Today (August 12th), Laurel had her six month checkup and shots. She did pretty well with the shots and has been only moderately fussy today. She weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces, which put her in the 75th percentile for girls her age, and she was 26 inches long, which is the 50th percentile. Her head measurement was in the 80th percentile, so I'm glad to know that her brain is getting nice and big!

She did quite well on the trip back from Charleston, but I think we're all glad to be back home for awhile.

Monday, August 10, 2009

I have a sister!

My little brother Daniel got married Saturday. It was a gorgeous wedding with a gorgeous couple. Tim and I were in the wedding party and had a wonderful time. Laurel had a blast and was the second prettiest girl there (next to the beautiful bride, of course). It was one of the most fun weddings I've been to, and I'm so glad to get a sister out of the deal.

Daddy picked out the hair accessory for our sweet girl.
Aren't they adorable?
C-L-E-M-S-O-N
Look at the white girl jump!
Yes, I was crying a little.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wedding, and then the Beach!

Laurel will be getting a new aunt on Saturday when my brother Daniel marries his college sweetheart, Amy. We are so excited to welcome her into the family, and I know this weekend will be lots of fun. We're heading to Greenville, South Carolina, where they will be getting married downtown by the riverside.

Sunday is mine and Tim's sixth wedding anniversary, so we are going to stay with a friend in Charleston for a few days. (Plus, we visited Charleston while on our honeymoon). It seems unbelievable that we've been married that long. It has been a very happy six years and has gone by so quickly. It will be so special seeing my little brother get married, and I know it will bring back so many wonderful memories of my own wedding more than half a decade ago.

I cannot wait to see what Laurel thinks of the ocean and the sand. She loves water in a bath or pool, but this will be such a new experience. I hope she loves it as much as her parents do.

My baby brother Aaron came back from Florida a few days ago and will be staying at mom and dad's until he returns to school in September. Here's a shot of him and Laurel getting reacquainted.

And here's Laurel sitting up (her new favorite skill) and playing with Pink Poodle, one of her favorite toys. Couldn't you just eat up those chubby little arms?

Copyright @ The Baileys | Floral Day theme designed by SimplyWP | Bloggerized by GirlyBlogger | Distributed by Deluxe Templates