I'm Sure It Won't Be Long

I hate to admit that my baby's growing up, but I'm sure it won't be long until she's walking. Sniff, sniff. She's pulling up on everything, cruising around holding onto things and transferring from one object to another. It's crazy! I guess sitting is for the birds because she wants to be standing up all.the.time. We've had make some changes around the house, such as moving the laptop to higher ground, due to her new-found love of standing up.

We even had to lower her crib mattress after finding her standing up after a nap.

Maybe Aunt Kelsey will get her wish for Allie to walk down the aisle at her wedding in just 3 weeks? I can't believe it!

Hi Mom!

Just had to post this picture because I think it's so cute! She loves standing up!

Bed Head

Allie likes to sleep with her head shoved up against the bumper in her bed. I can lay her down right in the middle of the bed and come back a few minutes later and she's like this:

This leads to some very interesting hairstyles when she wakes up. For instance:

Summer Nights

For the past few weeks, Nick and I have made a point to make sure Allie spends some time outside when the weather is nice. We generally go for a walk after she eats dinner then let her swing in the backyard until bedtime. We broke out this car instead of her stroller the other day and she loves it! She holds on to the steering wheel and plays with the key as we go around the block. Our evening routine must be working because she's sleeping 11-12 hours consistently now, which has been heaven!

Standing Tall

Allie has begun to pull up on everything. We can't leave her alone in the living room for any period of time or she's standing up by the time we get back. She doesn't quite realize that she will fall if she lets go so one of us needs to be near her anytime she's standing. She is becoming more and more stable and brave each day and has figured out how to move her feet once she's holding on to something. She's so proud of herself and loves her new found freedom. She loves her Leap Frog music table and would play with it all day everyday if I would let her. It's so fun to watch her learn and grow each day!

Splish Splash

I met some of my Mommy friends at Sharon Woods Park last week for a play date. We spent the morning playing in the splash park, which Allie LOVED. I know it looks like my child is playing in a puddle on the side of the road but I swear that is not the case. They had a little fountain coming out of the ground which empties into a "river" that you can walk in. Allie loved splashing in the water and trying to catch the water as it bubbled out of the fountain. She also liked walking in the river holding onto my hands. We had a great time with the other Mommies and babies.

Allie with her friends, Parker & Cole. They were all born within 3 weeks of each other, with Allie being the oldest.

She's on the Move

Allie is officially on the move. She hasn't quite mastered official crawling, but still manages to get around by using her legs, arms, and the side of her head. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it gets the job done and is quite amusing to watch. Sometimes she'll "crawl" a little bit, then do a little dance on her belly, then clap for herself. She's very proud of her new skill and she loves being able to get to whatever she wants. I guess we'd better step up the baby proofing!

Yellow Rose of Texas (or Ohio)

Yellow is my absolute favorite color. I always look for yellow clothes for Allie because, let's face it, a girl really can have too much pink! This is one of my favorite outfits for her, picked out by my best friend Beth. I love it!

So sweet and innocent.

Quick, Mom's not looking. Eat the shoe!

I don't know what you're talking about? I wasn't eating my shoe!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a very busy 4th this year. We went to the Reds game with Aunt Holli, Uncle Brian, Uncle Red, Aunt Sheri, Ma and Pa. It was raining throughout most of the game so we were very thankful for the Riverfront Club tickets which let us sit inside. Allie was the belle of the ball in the Riverfront Club and made friends with a few patrons and the bartender. She did very well, especially considering the game interfered with her afternoon nap.

After the game, we went to Mike and Tracy's house for a party. The rain continued but we still had a great time. Allie fell asleep before the big fireworks display in the backyard. Maybe she'll be interested in them next year.

Happy 4th of July!

Hanging out with Daddy.

Showing off my two teeth!

When do we eat?

Yummmm, that sounds delicious.

Cameron and Allie. Two peas in a pod.

Cameron enjoying some corn on the cob.

What do you mean I'm eating it wrong?

I hope everyone had a very happy 4th of July!

6 Month Pro Pictures

I forgot to post Allie's 6 Month pro pictures. We had them taken at JC Penny and are really pleased with how they turned out. Here are some of my favorites:

The View Is Better From Up Here

While we were packing to leave NY, we sat Allie down with some toys to play. She normally doesn't go anywhere so we weren't too concerned. I noticed she was playing with the stroller but didn't think much of it. I was packing the camera so I snapped a picture.

I walked back out of the room and came back to find this:

I called Nick into the room. We sat on the couch with the camera ready and watched to see what she would do. To our amazement, she did this, all by herself:

We were so proud and started clapping and cheering for her. Being the clapper that she is, she let go of the stroller to clap for herself. Unfortunately, she hasn't mastered balance and as soon as she let go of the stroller, she fell, face-first into the ground. I guess we need to work on that balance thing...and probably start baby-proofing the house.