She Sits!!!

Over the past few days Reese has learned how to sit up unsupported.  It's amazing how quickly babies figure something out.  She is just over 5 months old so she is still wobbly and has her share of falls, but loves to sit nonetheless.  She seems to like the view of her toys much better from the sitting position too.   

Reese is also a big fan of her feet now.  We often find her sucking on her toes and the ball of her foot!  Whenever she is on her back, the first thing she reaches for are her feet.  When we put her in her pajamas (which some have furry animals on the footies) she loves to play with whatever animal accompanies her that night.  She especially likes the lamb and zebra. 

 

Saturday & Sunday

This past Saturday was Chippy T's Redneck Olympics.  Chippy T was the younger brother of a close childhood friend who was killed in an automobile accident last year.  The Redneck Olympics was a fund raiser for the Memorial Scholarship Fund in his name.  There were over a hundred people playing volleyball, whiffle ball, horseshoes, throwing balls at the dunk tank, going down a huge slide, charting the speed of their fastball, soaking in the redneck hot tub (a tarp-lined old pick up truck filled with water), etc...  There was a band that played and the food and beer was great.  It was also great to see some old friends and catch up on what everyone is doing with their lives now.  Reese had a blast.  She enjoyed watching all the people and even got to meet a few other babies.  ...... Such a great way to celebrate a life well lived.

On Sunday I made a bunch of baby food and froze it in ice cube trays.  Reese isn't quite ready to start solids but I want to be prepared!  I'm really big on feeding Reese organic foods, so I figured the best way to know what she's eating is to make it myself.  I made organic bananas, pears, squash, zucchini and kiwi.  I'm in the process of locating organic avocados, sweet potatoes, and green beans.  So if anyone knows where I should go to find these, please let me know!!!  I'll have a freezer full of baby food before I know it and it'll be so much cheeper than buying it in the jars!  It really is easy to do.  If I can do it anyone can do it.  

Sorry.... no pictures from the weekend.  :-(  

         

Visit with Aunt Lauren, Uncle Bill, & Cousin Angelina

We really enjoyed having Lee's sister and her family down for a visit this past weekend.  We were so happy they were able to come down before their new little one arrives.  Angelina loved 'Baby Reese' and did a wonderful job at holding her. 

  

Lauren, Angelina, Reese and I had a tea party with my mom, 2 aunts, and my cousin's wife, Kelly, at a local Tea House.  We had a great time!  Above is a picture of Angelina and Reese getting ready to go to their 1st tea party.  Lee took Bill to shoot guns at the farm during this time.  They wanted no part of the girly day we had planned.  

 

Angelina did great at the tea house.  She has definitely learned to 'look with her eyes... not her hands,' which was a good thing since we were surrounded by lots of breakable china.  Her favorite part of the tea was the Black Forest cake that Aunt Beth was kind enough to share with her.  And when Beth's cake was gone Angelina tried to move on to Aunt Susan's coconut cake.  It was too cute!!  The girl LOVES to eat!

Below is Aunt Lauren holding Reese for the 1st time.

Uncle Bill getting his refresher course in handling and infant.  Much different from a toddler!

Angelina gave Reese some toy flowers that light up and play music to help her learn to sit upright.  Reese loves this toy!  At one point after she had already given Reese the gift, Angelina said she didn't want to give the flowers to Baby Reese, but in the end she did a great job with sharing and gift giving.  Thank you for Reese's flowers!  Come back soon!

   

A Visit with Cousin Angelina

Reese's cousin Angelina came to visit for a long weekend.  She will be 2 next month... so adorable!  She is a ball of energy and quite the chatterbox.  She calls Reese - "Anja's Baby."  

    

We decided to have some quick pictures taken at Babies R Us.  The girls did great and loved modeling for the camera.  Their pictures came out cute too.  Lee's mom provided them with the matching outfits.   

Best Baby Carrier EVER!

We've been using baby carriers to tote Reese around in since she was a few weeks old.  We have the Baby Bjorn and 2 Hot Slings.  They all serve their purpose, but neither types were quite meeting my expectations.  Reese didn't seem comfortable in the Baby Bjorn and I didn't feel like she was very secure in the Hot Sling.  So... after talking to a few other moms, I decided to order an Ergo Baby Carrier.  I absolutely love it!  IT'S THE BEST BABY CARRIER EVER!  Reese loves it too!

You can carry your baby 4 different ways with the Ergo Carrier... on your front with the baby facing you, on your side and on your back.  The 4th way is for a newborn, so it's too late for me to experience that with Reese now.  The max weight capacity is 40 pounds, so we will be able to use this for a LONG time!  There are even some people that say they use it for 60 pound children.  

This carrier keeps Reese snug up to my body so I know she's secure and not in danger of falling.  I've worn her in this carrier around the house, out in the yard, and around Costco and other such stores.  She almost always falls asleep while I'm wearing her in the Ergo.  Lee loves to carry her too, and he doesn't complain about looking too girly like he did with the Hot Slings!

Thank you Ergo Carrier!  We have hands again!!!

She Rolled Over!!!

Reese rolled over for the 1st time today!  I was at the office and Lee just happened to stop by and walk in my office at the precise moment Reese rolled over all by herself.  She couldn't have timed it any better for both Lee and I to witness.  She's growing and changing so fast!

Reese's 1st Wedding

On Saturday we traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee for Sarah's cousin's wedding.  It was a nice ceremony with a reception at the Chattanooga Golf & Country Club, which is right on the river.  Reese did very well and loved looking at all the lights, flowers, and people. 

Reese had her 1st dance with a boy..... cousin Jay... who will be welcoming Reese's new cousin, Kaitlyn, in October!

Woo Hoo!!!  She's a party animal... already dancing on the table tops.

Daddy quickly made her put on some clothes.