Jumper

Her legs get a nice workout in this jumper. She constantly pushes and bounces around.

March Madness

Molly decided to root for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini for the NCAA basketball tournament, thanks to the nifty outfit that her aunt Karen got for her during a recent trip there.





Unfortunately, they lost in the first round to Western Kentucky. It really messed up Molly's bracket.

Hanging With Kaitlyn

We visited Kaitlyn and Sara and had a great time. Molly loved Sara! She laughed and smiled at her the whole time. Kaitlyn had fun playing with Molly too.

You can see a few of Sara's pictures over at Kaitlyn's Chronicles.

Toe Touches

She has been grabbing her feet lately. Usually when she's on the changing table. It makes changing a diaper a little more interesting.

It is hilarious, though.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Molly's cousin Calvin came over to celebrate St. Pat's Day and no, we did not serve green milk.

There were no wet willies this time, but Calvin did steal her pacifier a couple of times.




And a good day to you, sir.

Uncle Pete

My uncle Pete traveled here from Arizona to meet his grand-niece. After the initial "who is this stranger" cry-fest, they warmed up to each other nicely. It took uncle Pete no time to fall in love with Molly.

His cousin, Christine stopped by as well.

And yes, that is a "Daddy's Girl" shirt she has on.

First Laugh?

(not the actual laugh)

We think we heard Molly's first laugh. She did a quick ha-ha, once when my mom was playing with her and once with Colleen. We couldn't get her to do it again so we'll see if it continues, but it was quite amazing to hear.

Obligatory Cute Photos

Mid-yawn?









Not sure if I mentioned it, but her middle name, Kay, is because her three aunts have "K" names: Kathy, Karen and Kathy.







Mom's favorite gift. This was her outfit on Colleen's birthday.

Rubber Duckie

Bath time is still fun. Especially for the parents (maybe even more so). Molly did enjoy playing with the rubber duck that her aunt Karen got for her.

Karen travels a lot for her job and can't resist buying toys and outfits for her niece and nephew. This duck was from the University of Illinois.

On The Move

Molly is strong! She has a good grip, she likes to push with her legs and arms. Getting her to sit on your lap while she is trying to stand up is a challenge sometimes.

While feeding, she puts her hands on the bottle. She has occasionally sent it flying to the floor out of our hands. She lifts up the couch so we can vacuum underneath (kidding - she just moves it out of the way).

Imagine Colleen's surprise when she discovered Molly laying sideways in her crib. Yep, she figured out how to get her foot on one of the rungs and push herself around.

Brooke

Molly and I had a nice time at home while Colleen and Brooke went out shopping. Brooke couldn't resist checking out how much Molly has been growing.

Brooke is also pregnant (congrats)! I'm sure Molly is looking forward to having another little buddy to play with.

Just The Two Of Us

I had the opportunity to take Molly on an excursion without Colleen. It was our first time out of the house together. We've spent plenty of time alone at home, but venturing out without Mom to back me up was a new experience.

What's more fun and glamorous on this landmark occasion than shopping at Costco?

It was a little intimidating since I would have to be ready if her mood turned sour at any moment. How long do you try to quiet a crying baby before you abandon your basket and high-tail it out of there? To top it all off, I left her pacifier at home. Rookie mistake for sure.

Luckily, she seemed pretty happy to be there. She smiled easily and enjoyed looking around at everything. She really took it easy on me and we had a great time.

Activity Center

We put together Molly's self-contained stimulation station. I'm not sure what she makes of all the objects there, but she does like to reach out and grab stuff.




The pillow is underneath because she is reaching out with her legs and standing (sort of).

Wet Willie

Molly got her first wet willie from her older cousin. Here's Calvin setting it up.






Here he is delivering it.








I am still wondering if it was Kathy or Marc who taught him this.

Portable High Chair

Molly has a portable chair that hooks on to tables. She was in a really good mood when we tested it out.

Mobile

Molly really enjoys her mobile. She looks at it and smiles.

Busy Day

Molly had quite the busy day. It seemed like every time she woke up, she was in a different place. We visited her Great Grandmother, Costco, and her Grandparents.

She did get plenty of attention from GiGi.

Head Lifts

Molly is getting pretty good at lifting her head while on her belly.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day. Molly spent it with my parents while we went to a wedding reception. They were visiting my sister in LA the previous week and were thrilled to get some time with their granddaughter.

Hangin' With Dad

As you might have seen on a previous post, she enjoys this baby sling. It gives her a great view of everything that's going on. Plus, when she gets bored of songs, funny noises, or books, this is a nice change of pace.

Stuff She's Doing

It's easy to be awestruck at the simplest things she does, but here are a few things she couldn't do a few weeks ago.

Holding stuff. We can put things in her hands and she will grip them. She's not putting everything in her mouth yet, but she knows when she has something.






Leg lifts. We put her in her swing the other day and for some reason, she started sticking her legs straight up in the air.






Head held high. She's holding her head up well enough that we can put her in this little chair. It supports her back and sides so she can just sit and look around.

Afternoon visits

Last week Molly & I went out to visit with good friends. We saw Lydia and her twin girls Ava and Lucia. When the ladies woke up from a nap they were excited to show Molly some toys. We had fun coloring and playing ring around the rosie!


Our next outing was with Melanie, Brooke and Ashley. Molly was a bit fussy and did some crying that afternoon, but after eating some lunch, a diaper change and bouncing around, she fell asleep for most of the visit. Thank you Melanie for keeping me calm through those stressful moments. We stayed for a long time and played a few rounds of Candyland and Guess Who with Ashley who is such a great big sister! Brooke is almost 5 months older than Molly and they are just about the same size!

First Walk

We went for a walk on this relatively balmy day. It's amazing when the temperature goes north of 40 degrees, it's considered warm. I was amazed at the number of guys wearing shorts that were walking around.

We went around the block. Molly slept through about half of it. Barney did not even try to avoid the puddles. He went straight to the tub for a bath when we got back home.

Guitar Hero

This came as a surprise to me, but she seems to like when I play guitar hero. If she's sitting in front of me, she will watch my hand as I press the controller buttons. If she's facing the other way, she will look as the colored dots scroll down the screen.

The clicking of the controller buttons has put her to sleep on a few occasions.

More Reading

Molly loves to be talked to. Reading to her is a great way for her to hear our voices. She also likes looking at each page as we flip through the books.

Aunt Gail's Hat

Colleen's Aunt Gail knitted this hat for Molly. It is one of her favorites and wears it almost every day. Maybe Aunt Gail can shed some light as to what kind of hat this is. Colleen says it's a tulip. I say strawberry.

Frog Outfit

Our good friends Stephanie, Paul, and Eric sent us a frog themed gift basket with a frog doll, outfit, blanket, shoes, and socks. It was quite a surprise and very generous. Thank you to everyone who thinks of us and wants Molly to have cute stuff.

By the way, Paul is our Kickball manager and definitely has a cheerleader for our upcoming seasons!

Superbowl

We went to Justin and Leah's for the Superbowl. She was a little fussy when we got there. No problem, she must be hungry. Leah was happy to grab a bottle and feed Molly.

She's not taking the bottle and is getting a little more agitated. Back to Mom's arms she goes. It's her happy place, right? Not this time. Irritation leads to crying. Is it the noise? All the people? The new surroundings?

Colleen, Karen, Kathy, and I spent a good chunk of the game in the bedroom/coat room trying to calm her. After about a half hour of talking, swinging, and rocking she finally falls asleep. We then were able to watch the end of a pretty good football game. Everyone who wanted to meet Molly had to peek in on her quietly.

She was happy enough by the time we left to pose with Leah. It was a bumpy first Superbowl for Molly. The rest of us had a really good time.