Getting the Ball Popper

Molly knows what she's doing with the ball popper (her favorite toy). She hits the button with no problem and when a ball pops out, she puts it back in the tray on top.

Juice and Water

Molly has been getting a pretty good variety of solid foods. We have cut back on her formula and introduced more water and juice. It did not take long for her to get the hang of the sippie cup.

The Carrot Seed

The Carrot Seed is a song that Molly's grandfather grew up listening to. We were able to find the song and album art online so that he could pass it along to the kids. Molly and Tim have matching shirts that Kathy made for them to wear while enjoying the song.

State Fair

Rumor has it that this is the last state fair at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit so we decided to check it out. Kathy, Marc, Calvin, Tim, Colleen, Molly and I made the trip to see some animals and enjoy the carnival.





There was a variety of cows, horses, sheep, and pigs for us to look at.







Calvin especially got a kick out of the animals and had a lot of fun in the petting zoo. Here he is sharing a snack with Molly.






It was a beautiful day with lots of sun and a cool breeze. Molly even tried on her mom's sunglasses. It was another example of something that is kind of fun but was enhanced by sharing it with the kids.

Standing On Her Own

She's been developing her balance. She can stand on her own for about ten seconds at a time. She will figure out how to do this and put one foot in front of the other in no time.

Hideout

Molly has discovered a new hideout. It's the little space behind the couch. She plays "Where's Molly?" and crawls in and out.

McKenna Laine Molloy

We went to visit Sara and Jim's new baby. Molly was never this tiny!

Happy Birthday Leah

Went to Leah Cavallaro's birthday party. Colleen was really excited to see her friend Julie, who moved to North Carolina recently. It was fun to hang out with great people.





Molly had a nice time with the balloons.








Did I mention that she had a great time with the balloons?







It's amazing she figured out how to pull the balloon down hand-over-hand to get to it.

Fun With the Grandparents

She can climb stairs!



My mom can crack her up!

New Scooter

Molly is trying out her new scooter. She's not quite big enough for it yet, but she can sit on it and play with all the knobs and levers on it.

It converts to a walker that she has been using (yep, walking!).

One Wants Out, the Other Wants In

Molly and Barney are at the back door trying to switch places.

Swing

Molly really loves swings. It's her favorite thing at the park.

Ball Popper

Molly really likes this ball popper toy.

Happy Birthday Niko

Went to Niko's birthday party. Super fun presents, cake, piñata, and a delicious Mexican feast.






Niko enjoyed helping out with Molly's lunch.

Playing With Barney

Molly has discovered the fun of playing with the dog. The poodle skirt is in for the Woodward Dream Cruise.

What's Going On Here?

Molly was doing this funny thing where she was trying to eat her puffs but something was in the way...

Zoo

Colleen, Molly, Carrie, and Joseph went on a trip to the Detroit Zoo. It was a nice hot day. Molly's main interest seemed to be people watching, but I'm sure she will get interested in the animals soon enough.




Molly and Joseph get along pretty well too.

Walking

Now that she pull herself up with relative ease, walking is the next step (pun intended).

Dexterity

Molly is really good at picking up stuff. She can use her thumb and forefinger to grab little things like pieces of fruit or puffs. She's even using her few front teeth to bite into them.

Car Seat

Molly was a little overdue to upgrade to the next size car seat. She seems pretty comfortable. Her head slumps over a little too much for my liking when she falls asleep in it, but the extra padding that you can attach helps a little.

Canada

We took Molly on a family trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. She did pretty good on the trip there. She mostly slept or entertained herself. She let us know when it was meal time or needed a diaper change.





Nine of us rented a house, including my parents, my sister and her husband, and my uncle and his girlfriend.







We did all the normal touristy stuff like ride the Maid of the Mist through the falls.











They even gave Molly her own mini raincoat.








We kept her in the stroller while the boat was underway, though.

We also visited some historic sites, took a winery tour, and just had fun hanging out with the family.




Molly was very good during the trip. She slept with no problems in the pack-and-play, even though she was in a strange house. She's crawling pretty good now so she had fun exploring. My sister and Tyler were glad to have a few days to get to know her better too.

Standing

Here we go. Molly has been getting pretty good at standing up. If there is something in front of her just the right size, she will use it to pull herself up onto her feet.

She plops back down soon after, but it has been so soon after she got the hang of crawling everywhere!

Downtown Detroit Biking

We went to downtown Detroit today to bike the Dequindre Cut. It's an old railway that runs between Eastern Market and the riverfront. It is now a biking/walking trail. As part of Tim's birthday celebration, all the kids took him out on bicycles to explore.




She did very well on the bike seat for a while until she started getting tired. That's when we switched her to the trailer Kathy and Marc brought.






Here's a few more pics from that day:

Happy Birthday Joseph

Joseph Cognitore had his fourth birthday party at Imperial Lanes. It was a glow-bowl extravaganza!






Once again, Molly had a great time interacting with the other kids. She didn't mind the loud music, flashing lights, and everything glowing from the black lights.

She even managed to fall asleep after a few hours of fun.

Fifth Tooth

I was changing Molly and noticed that she has a fifth tooth! It is to the left of the two bottom teeth (not really visible in this picture).

Smooches

Molly gives kisses. Lots of them. She comes at you mouth first, so you have to do some maneuvering to avoid getting a face full of drool.

Happy Birthday Brooke

Brooke had her first birthday party and we were there to help celebrate. She got her hands into the cake, but didn't smear it all over her face like we hoped.






Molly really enjoyed playing with the other kids. She also likes to watch them as they run around the yard or play on the swing.






She was in a good mood...









Until it all caught up to her and she couldn't keep her eyes open any more.

The transfer to the car seat didn't even wake her up.

Good birthday party. Melanie promised food, cake, and fun. She delivered on all three!

2009 Comerica Cityfest

Our friends Joel, Debbie, and Jenie came by for a visit and we went down to the Cityfest in Detroit. There was a lot of food, music, and people there. Molly didn't seem to mind the crowds. She did mind being in the stroller.




I guess she wanted a better view of what was going on.