Happy 2nd Birthday, Raleigh!

Happy Birthday to Raleigh! We had a great weekend-long celebration. The party theme was Old MacDonald's farm with ladybugs. It turned out cute. Photos to come.

• Likes: ladybugs, hair bows, her new toy baby stroller and doll, outside
• Dislikes: hair washing
• Skills: singing complete songs, counting things
• Communication: She has started recounting stories, especially ones involving boo-boos.
• So big! Shirts 2T, Pants some 18mos some 2T, Shoes 6, Diapers 4

Dear, sweet Raleigh. Happy birthday to you. We love you very, very much.

Raleigh is 23-months!

Mommy fail. I completely forgot to write about Raleigh's 23-month updates. And Rowan's mirthday just passed, too. But that's for another time. Back to Raleigh.

• Likes: Singing, dancing, playing with Rowan, blackberries & yogurt, playing in sand, hair doo-dads, Curious George stories, art projects
• Dislikes: diaper changes, hair washing, veggie burgers
• Skills: She counted to 12 all by herself one night in the kitchen, totally unprompted. Genius! She can jump really well. We're still working on the potty. She's not too into it right now but loves her Minnie Mouse undies. 
• Communication: It's getting a lot easier to understand everything she says. There are still some things she has to repeat a few times before we finally get it.
• So big!: tops 2T/24mos; bottoms some 18mos some 2T/24mos; dresses 2T/24mos.; shoes 6-ish; diaper 4 (undies 2T/3T)
• In the works: I am going to introduce the sticker chart for the potty in another week or so. Her day care is moving to a new location next month and she will be in the 2-year-old room where they work on potty skills and other big kid stuff.

My baby is going to be 2 next month. This is such a fun time! I had forgotten how clever and funny 2-year-olds are. Of course there will be some trying times ahead for all of us, but I choose to focus on the fun. This era will be gone in a flash so I want to be sure to enjoy the ride, scary stuff and all.


Happiest birthday wishes to my sweet baby girl!

Raleigh is 22 months!

Likes: bubbles in the bathtub; chocolate milk; her shoes with flowers on them; blackberries; art projects at school; markers instead of crayons; animals; The Animals of Farmer Jones, and Baby’s Birthday. She likes the idea of a hair bow but won’t keep one in very long. She prefers chewing on them instead.

Dislikes: brushing teeth, sometimes; waiting, all the time

Communication: She’s talking in complete sentences mostly. Some stunners from this past week. “I like your necklace, mommy.” “This juice is yucky. I don’t want it.” (I watered it down too much!) There are still a few things that she says that are hard to understand. Sometimes Jeremy and I look at each other and shrug our shoulders. We ask her to show us, but sometimes she won’t or can’t.

Skills: She can take off most of her clothes without help. School tells me that she is a very good helper, especially with the little babies.


So big!: Clothes are still size 18 months though she does have a few 24-month things that fit okay. Shoe size is 5 or 6 depending on the brand and style. Diaper size is 4.

This past month has been really fun! I am amazed at how quickly her verbal skills have evolved. She is also starting to show more and more of her sense of humor. You know we need another comedian in the house.


Happy mirthday to my sweet, smart, funny girl!

Raleigh is 21 months old!

I would have shared this post sooner but both children have developed the inability to go to sleep on time for the past week or so. Their routine has not changed so I am not sure what's going on. Maybe it's the weather. Dunno, but I hope things change soon! Now for the Raleigh update. 

Likes: "Love You Like a Love Song" by Selena Gomez - especially the part that goes "And I keep hittin' repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat"; Books - "Go Dog! Go!", "The Little Red Caboose", and "Where's My Mummy?"; Puzzles; Mushrooms, noodles, and pasta; Swings; Caillou and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; Ring Around the Rosie

Dislikes: Veggie burgers (That's yuck!); Having her hair washed; Being told no and basically not getting what she wants when she wants it

Communication: Wow! She's a talker... like her mama. She likes to chime in to most conversations and speaks in 3- to 4-word sentences. And she has great manners. Examples of what we've been hearing lately: "Share toys, Bub. Please." "Shhh! Baby's sleeping, Mommy. Okay?" "Eat dinner now. Yay!" "More stickers, please!" It actually sounds like "Mo stickuhs, peas." It's adorable. 

Skills: Raleigh can jump! She made liftoff on Christmas Day. She is very good at stacking blocks and other objects in complicated ways. Her crayon skills are more controlled though she still likes to bite off the tips. Ugh. She likes to "read" to me and will join in if I am reading a favorite passage. She also likes to count images in books and can do it in Spanish, too. She is a good helper at school. She helps take care of the little babies, mostly by helping them hold their bottles.

Funny Girl: Raleigh loves to tell knock-knock jokes. Her favorite goes like this. R: Knock knock. 
Me: Who's there? 
R: Banana 
Me: Banana who? 
R: Neena na nee nee banana? (Translation: Orange you glad I didn't say banana?) 


Another classic gag that gets plenty of laughs... She will toot and then claim that Lulu, my parents' dog, or G-Daddy did it. She came up with this all by herself. 

So big! Clothes are still size 18-month for the most part but she can wear a couple of smaller 24-month size shirts. She is now wearing a size 6 shoe and size 4 diapers. 

Happy birthday to my sweet, smart, funny little girl!

Raleigh is 20 months old!

The weeks and months pass so quickly. In four months my baby will be 2 years old. How can that be possible? 

• Likes:  bubble baths, reading books (It’s one of the first things she asks for in the morning.), Ring Around the Rosie (Ashes)
• Dislikes: Lately she does not want to eat dinner in her own chair. She wimpers, cries, moans, and throws food and utensils on the floor in protest. Dinners have not been peaceful in our house.
• Communication: Her favorite phrases are: “I did it!” “All done. Get down.” “No splashing, Bub.” “Help!” “Breakfast?” “Sorry, mommy (or Bub).” She has started hitting and pinching more often when she doesn’t get her way. Sometimes she is more willing to apologize than others.
• Skills: She is singing a lot more these days, especially “Jingle Bells” (Bingle Bells). She likes to put things in the trash can. She also likes to get lots of tissues to wipe her nose. I have to put the Kleenex box where she can’t reach it. I keep offering the potty and she’s gone pee-pee twice. Mostly she likes to sit down (with or without clothes on) and then jump up real quick to look in the bowl.
• So big!: Shirts and pants: 18 mos. Shoes: size 6 Diaper: size 3

Happy mirthday, sweet baby girl.

Raleigh is 19 months old!

• Height: 32.25 inches
• Weight: 22.7lbs
• Development: According to the doctor's note Raleigh is "growing great and everything looks great!" She impressed the doctor with her verbal skills and saved her loudest yowls for the nurse with the immunizations.
• Likes: reading Curious George stories; going for walks/stroller rides
• Dislikes: the usual stuff – being told no, having her hands washed before and after meals, putting on a diaper after bath
• Communication: She’s talking up a storm and can repeat almost any word she hears. Her favorite phrases are “Mommy, look!” “No want that.” “Go outside*.” “Mine.” “Me!” “No!” Monday night I said “awesome” during bath time and she repeated it. It was, well, awesome. :-)
• Skills: The hopping is getting a little better. Her spoon/fork movements are more controlled so she doesn’t spill as much food when feeding herself. She likes to help clean up and knows where things should go. Last night, Raleigh sang “Happy Birthday” spontaneously in the car. Magic, I tells ya.

Happy mirthday, sweet baby getting-bigger-every-day girl! (That makes me happy and sad at the same time.)

* Outside can mean literally outside but often she means she wants go “outside” the bedroom to the living room.

Raleigh is 18 months old!

Hooray! Raleigh has reached the 18-month milestone. Her check-up is scheduled for the end of next week so I will have physical stats after then. For now, you will have to make do with other updates. 

• Likes: singing, beans of all kinds, cleaning up, shoes, taking off her diaper (yar!), playing with Rowan - when he's in the mood
• Dislikes: being told no, diaper changes, putting on a new diaper, brushing teeth
• Communication: She is starting to say 2-3 word phrases and sentences. Examples: "I ate it." "Thank you, Raleigh." "No, mommy!" "All done!" "Go outside?" Her favorite word right now is G-Daddy. She says it all the time. She can also say G-Ma (sounds like Nina) but prefers the sound of G-Daddy. It is a fun word I suppose. 
• Skills: She's got some pretty good dance moves. She really likes to walk in a tight circle as fast as she can go. She's still working on a hop. She can drink from a regular cup when she feels like it. Sometimes she gets cheeky and lets the milk fall back out of her mouth instead of swallowing but I don't think that's really a cup issue. She feeds herself 95% of the time and will accept food from others only if she wants to or if you are offering something irresistible. She can point to just about anything you ask her to and her vocabulary expands weekly.
• So big! Shirts and pants: 18 mos. Shoes: 5 or 6 depending on the brand and style. 

We went up to north Georgia today to visit the pumpkin and apple farms. At the apple farm they had a small petting zoo with goats, sheep, kittens, chickens, a calf, a pig, and bunnies. Raleigh was beside herself with glee. She loved the goats, especially the babies. She would reach out to pet one and then get so excited she would totally miss them. Then she would put both hands up to her face and squeal with delight. When she finally made contact with this one baby goat she started ooh-ing and aah-ing. There was an older girl there, around 10, who was holding one of the babies. The girl bent down so Raleigh could pet the goat and Raleigh thought she was going to get to hold it. She reached right for it and started to pull him on to her lap! She did the same thing with one of the kittens. She truly likes animals, even ones on TV. 

Jeremy has called her our Elly May. I guess we should see how her wrastlin' skills develop as she gets older before we let that nickname stick.

Raleigh's 17th Mirthday

Seventeen months! Our little baby is getting to be such a big girl.

• Likes: helping clean up toys, animals, doing big kid things, walks, shoes
• Dislikes: Having things taken away, especially by Rowan
• Skills: She is trying to jump but ends up standing on her toes and lifting her arms. She can sing "Caillou" (It's so sweet!) and likes to sing/hum to other songs. She is also getting to be a pretty fast runner.
• Vocab: buh tee (brush teeth), brocka (broccoli), duh (done), kellkotter (helicopter), eee-beee (airplane), outsigh (outside), cuh-cake (cupcake), puh-cake (pancake), shoes, yuck
• So big! shirts/dresses and pants - 18mos. shoes - size 5; The last tooth in this latest set has come in all the way making the grand total 16. Somehow I got ahead of myself with the tooth counting. We're back on track, though!

Raleigh Stories

Now that Raleigh is communicating in a way that we can better understand, she's starting to have some funny stories like big brother.

We were eating dinner at my parents' house a couple of weeks ago and the topic of conversation got a little disorderly. 

   My mom: Let's talk about something nice. What would that be?

   Raleigh: burp!

Driving to the library we were talking about why it's not a good idea for Rowan to get his cast wet. We were talking about how it would make his skin yucky and would probably start to smell pretty awful.

   Rowan: It would be like stinky cheese! Stinky cheese man!

   Me: You're probably right about that.

   Raleigh: Nas-tay! Ooooh-weeee! 

Happy belated birthday, sweet baby. 

Raleigh is 16 months old!!!

Today our tiny baby is 16 months old! How did that happen so quickly? We've seen a lot of growth in Raleigh this past month - new skills, new words. It's been really neat to see her developing so rapidly. Here are the details.

• Likes: The usual, plus finding a special little spot to sit, reading books, singing, neckalces, bracelets, and purses
• Dislikes: brushing teeth (sometimes)
• Skills: She can walk backwards and drink from a regular cup without spilling (as long as you put a wee bit in there). She pee-peed in the potty once. She likes to sit on the potty, with and without bottoms on, and is happy to sit down on it when you ask her to try. She also likes to exclaim "pee pee!" if someone else is going.
• Communication: It is getting easier to figure out what she wants/needs but sometimes we all get a little frustrated when I can't decipher her talking and gestures quickly enough. She definitely understands a lot of what we are saying and is very good at yelling "No!" when we guess incorrectly about her requests. She is also great at mimicking noises and repeating words she finds interesting. The words aren't in her working vocabulary but she can say them accurately. I think they will crop up into conversation one day when we least expect it. She likes to tell her own version of knock-knock joke that's pretty funny. Basically she'll say "knock-knock" and wait for the who's there, then she'll crack up. It's a lot more humorous than it sounds.
• New vocab: apple, pee pee, bee-bee (baby), nana (banana), bloon (balloon)
• So big! Three more teeth have erupted for a total of 17. Number 18 lurks just beneath the gums. Shirt size is 18 mos., pants 12 mos., and shoe size 4.

Long overdue mirthday update for Raleigh

This post is overdue. Very, very overdue. But, better late than never!

• Likes: dancing; being outside; animals; doing big girl things; throwing things on the floor and saying "uh-oh"
• Dislikes: baths!*; having something taken away from her; being told no
• Communication: "Uh-oh" means something is on the floor (either by her hand or someone else's) and you must pick it up immediately. She's almost compulsive about it. She's a good yes/no head shaker. She will now answer yes for some questions, not just no all the time. She has been jibber-jabbering a lot more lately, too. It sounds like some type of Swedish-German-Vietnamese dialect. She is also very good at copying the tone and rhythm of your words. I point out eyes, nose, mouth, ears and she will make the noises "ahhh (eye)", "ohhh" (nose), "ehhh" (mouth), and "eee" (ears).
• Skills: She can sing/hum parts of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and does some of the hand motions. She can also "sing" parts of the ABC song. She is very good at consistently getting down from chairs or the bed in a safe way (on her tummy, feet first). Walking is just around the corner. She likes to stand up without any help but is still hesitant to take steps on her own. She can use a straw (YAY!) and can blow air from her mouth. We're working on blowing her nose. Her reflexes are ninja-fast and she can catch you off guard easily. We joke that she has the makings for a CIA operative, especially paired with her linguistic gifts.
• Miscellaneous: She is using a sippy cup during the day and bottles only first thing in the morning and before bed. She is slowly going to just one nap in the afternoon.

*We cannot figure out why she is is terrified of the bathtub. I took a bath with her the other night and she was okay as long as she was sitting on my legs. I am curious to see how our trip to the pool goes. She is okay in the shower, but forget the kitchen sink. She even seems to get bent about a washcloth bath. Keep your fingers crossed that this is a short phase.

Raleigh's One-Year Stats

Raleigh's check-up last Thursday went well. The doctor said she is in perfect health and is developing just as she should. That's just what I like to hear.

• Height: 28.5"
• Weight: 19lbs. 1 oz.
• Likes: baths, talking, fruits and sweet foods, birthday cake sprinkles, stuffed animals, being outside
• Dislikes: diaper changes, being fed - she wants to do it and is starting to insist on a spoon.
• Communication: Raleigh can say uh-oh, Dada, Bub (sometimes), agua, dis (this), dat (that), awww. She can wave bye-bye when you ask her to, shake her head (her whole body, actually) yes and no, point to things she wants, smacks away things she doesn't, kiss (mwaaa), and clap her hands when you say "yay" or "clap".
• Skills: She's getting more interested in walking. This past weekend she walked with help quite a bit. She has stood by herself a couple of times for about 2 seconds, but gets scared and sits down when she realizes what's going on.
• Teeth: I think her bottom right molar is starting to come in. She's drooling like crazy and gnaws on her finger. Hopefully it will come in quickly. When it comes in, that will be #11.
• Food: We've started weaning her from the bottle to a sippy cup. It's going okay. I think sometimes she holds out for the bottle.
• So big! She's still wearing a few of her 9-month clothes mixed with 12-month. She's wearing a size 3 shoe and size 3 diapers.

Happy, happy birthday sweet baby girl. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Raleigh is 1!!!

I know I am late with the birthday post but I hope you can forgive me since I've included a video this time. I was having some computer troubles and it took awhile to edit and post. Excuses. Yeah, I got 'em.

Without further ado, heeeeere's Raleigh! Her one-year check-up is Thursday. I will post a proper update after that.

I posted one other video. You can view all Raleigh videos using the same password that you use to view the photos.

Raleigh is 11 months old!

Raleigh is now 11 months old. This is the last month of year 1. I’ll just let that sink in for a minute.

Okay, on to the updates!

• Likes: Pancakes – the minis from the frozen food case; taking off her shoes and socks; Rowan; baths
• Dislikes: Diaper changes – they just take too long and I won’t let her crawl around naked or get poo all over the place. I am so callous.; Being left out of the action.
• Skills: She’s cruising a lot more while holding on to the table or other stuff. She likes sitting on the riding toy but is not interested in walking with it. She can sit down on her own but prefers help. Rowan is a pretty good with that. We’ve given her a sippy cup to practice with but mostly she plays with it. We’re working on straw skills, too.
• Communication: Raleigh can say: Da-da, uh-oh, and Bub (that’s Rowan). It also sounds like she says “dis” for this. She has made the noise Mama, but doesn't use it. I have heard from her teacher that she says hola but I have yet to hear her do it. She can wave bye-bye. She points to things that she wants and shakes or turns her head away from and bats at things she doesn’t want.
• Teeth: Tooth #8 is in! Maybe we can get a break from teething for a spell.
• Food: No new food to report. I don’t think she likes lentils, red lentils anyway. Otherwise, she eats just about everything.
• So Big!: She’s moved up to a size 3 shoe. Everything else is the same.

We’re planning a family celebration next month for her 1^st birthday. Check back for the full story and some photos. (There are some new ones up, by the way.)

Happy 11-month birthday to my golden bear cub who is sweeter than honey!

Happy 10-month Birthday, Raleigh!

Raleigh is 10 months old today!

Her personality is starting to show a lot more these past few weeks. She is babbling, laughing, and gesturing a lot more – especially when she can have the spotlight to herself. She was still awake after Rowan had gone to sleep over the weekend and had a grand time playing and talking. It was a lot of fun to see her acting so grown up.

• Likes: bath time; anything Rowan is doing or playing with; stuffed animals; silly singing; being outside; feeding herself; mashed potatoes
• Dislikes: being told no; staying still for diaper changes; having to play by herself for a few minutes while I try to get something done like go to the bathroom
• Skills: She can stand at the coffee table for long periods of time – easily 30 minutes – as long as she has something to play with. Raleigh is an excellent mimic. We can pretend whistle to each other (Rowan started this a while back after hearing my dad whistle for the dog. All you do is say “wee-ooo-weet!” You can hold your fingers in your mouth if you want.) and she will “whistle” back. She will also mimic no-no sounds (“eh-eh-eh”) and the sly fox’s laugh from The Gingerbread Man story. It’s hilarious.
• Communication: She can wave bye-bye and has said “bye-bye” at least once; She claps her hands when you say “Yay!” or whenever she feels like it. She has made the following sounds: buh, duh, esss, muh, dah, dee, and zuh. When she is tired of eating whatever you are feeding her she will spit it back out with a zorbert. (It’s gross. It’s gross.) When she likes something she will kick her legs and/or wave her hands and/or bounce. She will also point her crooked little left index finger at things and people she likes.
• Teeth: Tooth #8 is getting ready for her debut. My guess is that it will be in by Rowan’s birthday. She has been rubbing her gums over the molar area lately, too.
• Food: Raleigh pretty much eats everything now. She’s had a tiny bit of peanut butter; poultry and beef; and all kinds of grains, veggies, and fruits. I call her my country baby because she loves collard greens, soup beans, grits,
• So Big: We’ve packed up the jammies that are smaller than 12 months; they’re just too short. She couldn’t stretch out her legs, poor dear. For her other stuff she is wearing size 9-12mos. I think her shoe size is still a 2.

I can hardly believe that our sweet baby will be 1 year old in just two months. This year has flown by! I can only imagine what interesting and exciting things we will enjoy and learn from this next month.

Happiest mirthday wishes to my baby girl!

Thanks to Jessica, Raleigh's teacher, for the photos.

Delicate Flower

The freaky snow storm and subsequent icy conditions delayed Raleigh's 9-month check-up. We finally got in to see the doctor last Friday. Here are her measurements: weight 17lbs. 3oz. and height is 27.75 inches. Both measurements are totally healthy but slightly lower on the growth curve compared to her past measurements. The doctor said this is normal. She is a very healthy little girl and we are so thankful! Oh, and did I mention how smart she is? This past week she has learned to do a kiss face. I guess you could call it a fish face, too. Or you could just call it ADORABLE.

She is also babbling a lot more frequently for longer periods of time. She likes to chat on our drive home from daycare. It might be coincidence but I swear she was singing with me today. This is definitely the good stuff, y'all.

Raleigh is 9 months old!

What a difference a month makes! Raleigh is doing all sorts of new things now that she's a big girl.

• Skills: She can pull up to a standing position and cruise a few steps. She has mastered the pincer grasp. She can help put her shirt on and is very good at taking it off, too. She can clap her hands. The funniest thing is when she plays peek-a-boo with her blanket. You say. "Where's baby?" and she'll pull the blanket over her face. She started doing this a couple months ago here and there.
• Language: "Da-da" is her first purposeful sound. Jeremy is "Da", of course, but so are a few other things. If she gets mad about something she will aim her crooked left pointer finger at you and sternly say "Zuh, zuh, zuh!" She knows what a cat is and will look for one if you ask her where the kitty is.
• Food: I still breastfeed her at night and first thing in the morning. I've stopped pumping at work, though; the squeeze wasn't worth the juice, so to speak. She is eating all kinds of solid foods now, including yogurt, cottage cheese, pancakes, waffle, bits of cornbread, and chicken. For New Year's Day we cooked black eyed peas and collard greens. She ate them with much gusto. So did Rowan.
• Clothes: She's squeezing into a few of her larger 6 month clothes, but has mainly moved on to the 9-12 month sizes. She can wear Rowan's old size 2 shoes - and they look so cute, I might add.
• Miscellaneous: Her seventh tooth has came in at the beginning of December. Tooth 8 is still working its way out. She thinks Rowan is very funny and tries to do everything that he does. At her daycare, she won't play with the boys in her age group. She wants to be with the older babies.

Raleigh has her 9-month check-up this Thursday. I will post her measurements after that.

Happy mirthday, sweet baby Raleigh!

Raleigh is 8 months old!

Eight months ago I was lying in bed at Northside hospital, trying to get some rest and wishing I didn't feel like a garbage truck just ran me down. Thank goodness I had a sweet little bundle of goodness named Raleigh Maclaine to help me through it all.

Fast forward eight months and here we are. We are all adjusting to our still-new family of four status. But, it's hard to imagine what things were like without our baby girl. I know Jeremy would say that it was a lot quieter!

Here are some of things that our Raleigh-girl has been up to this past month.

• Likes: kisses; watching people dance or do cheers; doing anything that big kids are doing; being carried around while you do chores (all the time would be preferable, though)
• Dislikes: Being left on the floor or in her crib while you are trying to get stuff done (like blogging); people wearing sunglasses
• Skills: She's getting really good at picking up small foods and getting them into her mouth. She can bang two toys together. She's a crawling champ and likes to pull up to her knees using the coffee table or whatever is close by. She is also babbling a lot more.
• Food: I introduced yogurt and cheese this month. The yogurt is a big hit. I think she's still trying to figure out the cheese. She's only had shredded bits so I think a little cube might go over much better. She's eating almost all fruits and veggies - at least the ones that I can think of or that are in season. I also gave her some couscous mixed in with her veggie baby food. She likes it even though it takes a while to get all those little couscous bits chewed up and swallowed.
• Sizes: She's moved on to the size 3 diaper. I can hardly believe it. I found a stash of leftover newborn nappies and got a little teary thinking about how she is growing so quickly.

It has been so fascinating to watch Raleigh's personality emerge, especially these past few weeks. I sometimes try to imagine what she will be like next year or in 5 years. I don't know what it will be like, but I do know that we will have lots of fun on the way.

Lots of hugs and kisses to my sweet baby girl!

7 Month Mirthday

Happy Mirthday, sweet Raleigh! Here are some of her accomplishments and other info from the past month.

• Likes: FOOD! It pleases me to no end that she is a great eater. She still loves kisses, which also pleases me to no end. She loves going outside, especially if she's in her pouch. She also enjoys looking at animals.
• Dislikes: The nose sucker, nose wiping, eye booger getting, and staying still for diaper changes. Why do babies abhor hygiene?
• Eating: I am still breastfeeding her and pumping milk for day care days. She has the occasional bottle of formula. She likes all the food we have given her and has not had any problems. Some of the more interesting things we've offered her are grits and fro-yo (Don't tell Rowan we had it without him!). She eats such a variety of foods I couldn't begin to list them all here. I will introduce yogurt and possibly cheese (depends on her fine motor skill development) to her this month.
• Skills: She's been working on her fine motor skills with puffs. I sprinkle a few on her tray after she eats dinner to keep her entertained while we eat our food. She's getting good at it but still loses a piece on her cheek sometimes. She is still working on crawling. She is very skilled at transitioning from a sitting position to the crawl stance and back to sitting. We also brought the exersaucer out for her. She likes to look at the sunshine at smile at him. She can escape from almost any type of footwear and her grabbing reflex is wicked fast.
• Misc: She is wearing 6-9 month sized clothes for the most part. She has outgrown her little butterfly mocs and has moved on to fleece booties for the cold weather. (They look fab with leggings, by the way.) She is still a thumb-sucker and prefers her right hand.

I think Raleigh is on the up-swing from her first cold. There have been some long nights during which no one slept, but we've made it through somehow. I am not positive, but I think her teeth might be bothering her, too. It's tough work being a baby!

Happy 6-month Birthday, Raleigh!

Our sweet baby girl is 6 months old already! She is as sweet as ever and getting into all kinds of new stuff. Raleigh goes to day care two days a week and is thriving there. Her teachers say she is very smart - of course we knew this already but good to have confirmation from an unbiased source. :-)

Here's a little snapshot of what she's been up to this past month. Her check-up is at the end of the month so I don't have vital stats for you right now.

• Likes: Showers with mommy; being outside; watching bigger kids playing; looking at animals; being in the sling/carrier. She LOVES kisses. One night I had to kiss her to sleep!
• Dislikes: Not being able to do everything big kids can do; being left on her blanket or in the Bumbo chair; poo-poo diapers
• Skills: Raleigh can pull up to her hands and knees and will rock back and forth - crawling is just around the corner. Her fine motor skills are getting more refined. She can pick up toys and teething biscuits and move them to her mouth at will. She's also starting to try to hold her bottle.
• Teeth: She has 4 teeth already! Yep. The top two middle teeth came in within 3 days of each other. Like last time, she didn't complain much at all.
• Sleep: Sleep is going really well. Most nights she is out by 8:30. She usually wakes between 2:00 and 4:00 for a snack and then goes back to sleep.
• Clothes: Raleigh is wearing clothes in the 3-6 month range and some 6-9 month sizes, depending on the brand. I bought her first pair of shoes. They are pink corduroy with butterflies - very cute.

Happy 5-month birthday, Raleigh!

Raleigh turned 5 months old yesterday. I am amazed at how quickly she is mastering certain skills. It's like she doesn't want to be left behind by all the big people. She can easily roll over from back to belly and back again. She can pivot around on her belly to change directions and she has pulled herself up on her knees a couple of times.

She is reaching for toys on her blanket and can pull them closer to her for closer inspection. She will also try to reach for anything you have when she is sitting in your lap. The other day at Cracker Barrel she stuck her hands in my mashed taters with gravy. While I was reaching for a napkin to clean her hands, she grabbed my water glass and pulled it onto the floor where it shattered into pieces and sprayed the leg of the woman sitting at the next table. Ai-yah.

I have confirmed this morning that the lower left front tooth has broken through her gums - a momentous event. In celebration, she's getting her first serving of rice cereal! I loved cooking for Rowan (and still do) and am looking forward to making Raleigh's food, too. Nothing but fun ahead!

In addition to the zorbert communication she is also starting to vocalize a lot more. Just today she was "talking" by sucking in air and then letting out a loud yell. She sounded like an exotic bird! We had a conversation during our ride home yesterday that included more of the bird talk.

She still has a very sweet disposition and her sense of humor is emerging as well. I love this baby girl more and more each day. Happy birthday, yum-yum!