Sophia's New Hairdid

I'm still feeling some pangs of guilt after Sophia's last homemade haircut, so as her bangs started to cover her eyes again, we decided to take her to a professional this time. The salon is especially for kids, so the waiting area is full of toys, the chairs look like cars, and the kids get to pick out a movie to watch. You can't tell from her face, but Sophia really liked it.

When the hairdresser was done, she let Sophia pick a flower to put in her hair and sprayed glitter on her bangs. She also gave us a certificate, complete with a lock of hair, to document Sophia's first hair cut.


It was a great experience, which is good because we'll probably have to go back with Ally soon!

6 Months

Oh how I wish I could freeze time. I love, love, love this age! Ally is always happy and content, she can't move much, and most importantly, she can't talk back! At her 6 month appt, she weighed in at 16lb 1oz and measured 25.75 inches, which is about 50% for both. Her head was in the 50th percentile too, which is the lowest it's ever been for our kids!

Ally is sleeping much better. She goes to bed at 7pm without a peep, wakes once to eat, and gets up for the day around 6:30. She takes her morning nap in her crib, but still likes to snuggle with Mommy or Daddy for her afternoon nap. Will and I both love to nap with her, even if it destroys any hope of productivity for the day.

She was nursing 2-3 times a day, but unfortunately it just wasn't enough to maintain my supply, so she is now a bottle fed baby. She also gets 2 meals a day of solid baby food. She LOVES to eat "real" food and we have already bumped her up to stage 2 foods because she was eating 2 or more containers of the stage 1 foods at each meal. We have also started feeding her from a highchair because she was dangerously close to escaping from the Bumbo.


Ally now rolls both ways regularly. She is able to squirm and roll to get to what she wants. I'm still in the habit of laying her down on blanket, but I don't know why I bother because she's never on the blanket for long!

Her new favorite hobby is jumping. She'll spend over 30 minutes jumping in her excersaucer, the doorway jumper, and the jumparoo (which we borrowed from a friend when it became apparent Ally was part kangaroo!) You can't help but smile as she looks longingly at Sophia on the trampoline!

For weeks now I've been thinking Ally had a tooth breaking through, but no toofers yet. She drools, has a mild runny nose, and puts anything and everything in her mouth, so I don't think it'll be too much longer.

One of Ally's other favorite pastimes is "reading" books. Granted, they usually end up in her mouth, but of all of her toys, she is happiest with her books.

The relationship between Sophia and Ally has really started to take shape, and it's so heartwarming to see them enjoy each other's company. Sophia rarely says "I love you" to anyone, but she tells Ally she loves her several times a day without prompting. Ally saves her biggest belly laughs for Sophia and is constantly watching her with total admiration.

Ally definitely gave us a run for our money for a couple months, but now she is truly an easy baby. She is such a joy that I even look forward to her 4 am feeding! (But don't tell Will that)

Sisterly Love

Just a couple months ago, Ally would cry whenever Sophia got near her, and honestly, I couldn't blame her. But now, she just loves her big sister to pieces. She thinks Sophia is the funniest person ever, and it just fills my heart with joy to watch them laugh together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYfHjPtvs4Y

Bathing Beauties

I ran across some photos of Sophia in the bathtub from when she about 6 months old and decided to recreate them with Ally so I could compare the girls. I think they turned out pretty good.

Ally:

Sophia :

Ally:

Sophia:

Ally:

Sophia:

I think it's easy to see a resemblance, especially in the first pictures, but I can definitely tell them apart. What do you think?

Sophia Sillies

Parenting an almost-3-year-old is exhausting, but it also makes me laugh every day. Below is a picture Sophia drew of Trent. Look closely, and you'll notice she added his "bottom!"

One of her new favorite past times is dancing to songs that Will and I make up. It's always amusing to see her interpretive dance skills on display when we switch from fast music to slow music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Tl-78Amzc

And sometimes I can't help but join in the silliness. One of our goofy games turned into a tribute to the late Patrick Swayze! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLXK-oQ6KkY

And this week, Sophia finally started saying "water" instead of "marlow"! Yahoo!! But she still likes to point out that "I say marlow AND water." I think "num num house" has already been replaced by "restaurant," I can't think of any other Sophisms that have stuck around this long. *sigh* Our little girl is growing up!

Sticker Shock

The other day, I laid Ally down on a blanket in the living room while Sophia colored, and I began unloading the dishwasher. When I was done, this is what I found:

It didn't take long to find the person responsible.

Ally immediately began to plot her revenge.

YANK!!!

She has quickly learned one of the most important rules of little sisterhood:

Don't get mad. Get even!

5 Months

Ally is 5 months old now and nearing my all time favorite age. She is getting to the stage where she is always in a good mood when well rested and fed, and she can't move! I know it won't last long, so I'm trying to savor every moment.

We have started giving her 2-3 bottles a day and have started baby food. She loves baby food, but I forgot how messy and labor intensive it is. I've been trying to give her one meal a day of solids, but it ends up being about every other day. I looked back at our old blogs and was shocked that at this point I was giving Sophia 3 solid meals a day. It's hard to remember having that much time on my hands!

She is becoming more vocal and has babbled "mama" several times. She is also starting to master the scream that most parents call "the pterodactyl scream" which is the most fun to practice in crowded restaurants. Two of her favorite toys are Trent and the remote control, but her Daddy feels the same way!

She can sit up now, but I still haven't seen her roll from her back to her tummy yet. She hates being on her stomach, so she doesn't have much motivation to start anytime soon. Makes me wonder if I'll end up with another kiddo who skips crawling.

Nap time is still a daily battle and she still isn't sleeping through the night. She ends up in bed with us most mornings and we are always shocked at how much room such a little person can take up. We have nicknamed her favorite sleeping position "the starfish" since her arms and legs are about the same length!

She has now fallen head over heels for her older sister and Sophia is still just as smitten as ever with Ally. Sophia can get Ally to laugh longer and louder than anyone else, but unfortunately it usually involves games that I think are too rough.

Still having video trouble so here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhugzyvViEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4C5glHjdis

I am scheduled to go back to work after the holidays, and although I know I'll enjoy having some adult time, I'm going to miss spending so much time with my girls. I'm also a little worried since Will hasn't had both girls by himself for more than an hour or two, so keep him in your thoughts and prayers!