Friday, January 25, 2013

Happy 7 Months to Our Happy Lady!

Oh Arden, how you amaze your Daddy and I!  You are now 7 months old and growing bigger and bigger every day!  It makes me so happy and sad at the same time.  You are now 19 pounds!  I feel like the only time that I get a glimpse of what you were like as a newborn is when I am nursing you to sleep at night and the lights are turned down low.  When your eyes are closed and you are full and happy, I get to go back in time to  what you looked like 7 short yet very long months ago.







I know I have said this every month, but you have changed by leaps and bounds this month.  You are the sweetest and most outgoing little babe I have ever seen or met.  Your smile really lights up my heart and I love making you smile and giggle more than anything.  Your favorite game right now is peek-a-boo.  You love when I hide behind the edge of the bed and pop up and scare you.  As I pop down, you peer over the bed so you know it is coming but you like to prepare yourself.  You don't like surprises...just like your Mommy!  A guaranteed giggle inducer!  Your Daddy loves to do the Arden roll up...you love it!

You are already so affectionate.  You get the biggest smile when I kiss your cheek or bring you in for a close hug.  I love that about you!  You are sensitive and loving...just like your Daddy.  :)  Never lose that!  You also love to act silly and try to eat my whole face.  You put your whole mouth over my lips and drool like there is no tomorrow.  You just keep your mouth open and laugh.  Who knew that an adorable sense of humor started this early??


You have started to eat purees!!  You do such a great job and you have not gagged once!  Here is your first food adventure with sweet potatoes!





Your favorites so far have been sweet potatoes, peaches, apples, carrots, blueberries, and mango.  You are not such a big fan of peas, string beans, squash, and meat.


You roll around to get where you want to go and I am very impressed with your technique.  You will roll sideways to maneuver your way to move forward.  I am trying to teach you to crawl and you get so frustrated with yourself when you cannot do it.  You are moving your legs and scooting your bum, but you have so far managed to only scoot backwards.  I think you will get it very soon though!!

You also now sit completely unsupported and can hold your hand behind you to look behind you...impressive!!  I am always amazed by what you learn on your own.  I am now working on trying to teach you clapping.  You are almost getting it!  You now do "monkey see, monkey do."  When you want to "talk" to me, you make this high pitched squawking sound.  I make the same sound and like ping pong, we go back and forth saying it.  If I put my face by yours and say "kiss" you give me a big slobbery kiss.  Little Lola gives me a less slobbery kiss!  

Here are some pictures of the past month.  I am excited to see what this next month will bring!!  No doubt that it will be pure amazement!

Sleeping off your first cold at 6 months.  :(

Silly puppies!!



You love the crinkle of candies!

You may love the Colts, but you love the Bears too!  A surprise for Daddy!









Date night before Chris left for Vegas for CES.  We missed him terribly, but he had a very successful trade show!!  Good job, Dad!

We love Auntie Al!

Play pen time!


 Hanging out with Lola & Phoebe at Nana's!


Silly monkey!

 Play date with Audria...only a month apart!


Spider Man kisses


Play date with Andrew!



 Snuggle time :)



Sunday, January 13, 2013

Holiday Hangover

Now that the holidays have come to an end, I am feeling the aftermath of a Holiday Hangover.  The snow has melted, people seem to have lost their Holiday cheer, the Starbucks cups have gone back to being plain white and green instead of the festive red and green, and our decorations are getting packed up.  That's right...We even have some decorations up still in our house and to be honest, I will be sad to see it all go because that means it is really over.  :(  Seeing the holidays through a child's eyes really is just magical.  Watching Arden experience Christmas for the first time was like re-living it all over again myself.  Arden met Santa for the first time and did not even cry!!


We even had a White Day-After-Christmas Christmas!  We got around 10 inches of snow and it was so beautiful!!!  Arden loved to look out this window and she just squealed in wonderment as the snow fell.


She loved opening her gifts and even though she did not fully grasp the concept and liked the wrapping paper better than any gift that was beneath it, it was a new experience that we got to share with her.  She will never have another first Christmas and that saddens me. I know next year will be even better and she will want to track Santa and leaving milk ad cookies will be fun, but this has been such a fun year!  We went to three wonderful Christmases and we felt so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by such love.  







Arden got to meet and play with Aricelli & Elianna!


 




Best re-gift ever: Starbucks!!




Arden loves the snow!!!







Arden met Mark & Jill!!

 Arden & Chase!






Arden was the most amazing gift we received this year and I can't help but be a bit nostalgic thinking back to last year at this time.  It was when we told the world we were expecting a little package.






So much has happened in one year and our lives would not be the same without Arden.  She adds such happiness and adventure.  I cannot wait to see what the future brings and I guess if this year was so amazing, next year can only get better right?  Alright...hangover cured. :)