9 months and still going!

Hi All!!

Well, Sophie has officially hit the 9 month mark. Wow does time fly!

This past month we were able to visit Grandma Morphet in North

Carolina. Sophie did great in the nearly 11 hour car ride. She had a

blast seeing Grandma; going for walks, her first swing, and lots of big

open spaces to crawl around.

We also squeaked in a trip to visit 94 year old Great Grandma Szarlacki

in Rochester. Great Grandma was thrilled to see us, snatched the baby

to hold her as soon as we got there, and exclaimed "She is so big!".

At around 25 pounds, you betcha!

The most significant of milestones has to be that she is now STANDING.

Yup. Here comes trouble. Let's see how long that crib of hers will

contain her.

She still has 8 teeth, hair still stands up on end, and is still a very

contemplative young lass. She loves books - especially of the touch

and feel variety. It is so much fun to sit with her and read.

Well, that is it for now. Looks like spring has finally sprung here in

Syracuse. Hope everybody enjoys the upcoming good weather.

-Leanne, Steve, Sophie and Buddy

8 months, 8 teeth

So Spring is finally here!

Much like the tulips and daffodils - Sophie is just growing and growing and growing.

She started doing pushups a few weeks ago - even a few one handed ones! This led to her next fateful milestone; Sophie is officially crawling forward, and like a champ. Her pincer grip (between thumb and forefinger) is another achievement this month- which helps her put those yummy Cheerios (although the organic variety) in her mouth! She enjoys clapping her hands, occasionally waving like the queen, and blinking both eyes after Mommy does.

She is sitting up on her own - which helps her play by herself a lot more. She is beginning to get bored with her toys - so out comes the tupperware and wooden spoons!

And yes - 8 teeth! Still eating like a sumo wrestler, I might add.

She enjoys spending time with her family - she loves to see all her cousins. She gives them lots of smiles and enjoys playing with them more than anyone else. I have attached a picture of a few of her terrific cousins from our Easter visit to Grandma Boulware's house.

We will be visiting Grandma Morphet in NC this week - what a fun car ride this should be! 2 tired parents, 1 protective dog, an 8 month old baby and 11 hours of driving down the highway! (Keeping sanity - priceless) Spare a prayer or two for us, eh?

Until next time - happy spring!

And on to 7 months for Sophie

It's almost spring - yahoo! Can't wait for the weather so that Sophie can

enjoy taking walks in her stroller more often.

She sleeps pretty well now. That's not to say that she doesn't get up now and

again - but it isn't very often. She manages to squeak out 11 hours a night.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all do that? Even though we put her on her

back she always seems to end up on her stomach or side.

She has 6 teeth now. Loves to eat peas, carrots, spinach, potatoes, squash,

zucchini, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, BUT NOT BANANAS!? I have a

dog who won't eat American cheese, and a kid who won't eat bananas - how

weird is that? :)

She likes to feed herself. This is not the most enjoyable experience as a parent.

Never knew oatmeal could end up in so many places. And don't even ask me about

the Cheerios.

She is sitting up very well on her own now. Has even managed to figure out

how to tip over and land somewhat gracefully. She is beginning to figure out how to

steer her reverse creeping - so she is VERY mobile and strategic to boot.

She is trying desperately to get into a sitting position on her own. I have a feeling

that she will have accomplished this by the next update.

Buddy is still figuring her out. He dropped his toy in her lap to play fetch-

but she didn't throw it. He kept on retrieving his toy to Sophie even though Mommy

was throwing it for him - that was until Sophie grabbed hold of one of his ears and

pulled as though she was yanking a rope in the bell tower. YIPES! Thank

God some of those Cheerios end up coming his way - he seems to forgive her every time.

At 6 months she was nearly 20 pounds and 27 inches - she is our 95% baby.

We had a baby party recently, and Sophie was the youngest AND the largest.

(See picture with (l-r) Claire 10 months, Sophie 6.5 months and Madeline 8 months)

My little linebacker!

Daddy and Mommy are doing pretty well - we love laughing and spending time with her so much.

Life is good.

Happy St. Patty's Day ...

Sophie's been around for a 1/2 year already - WOW!

6 months have flown by like I cannot believe. She is super fun now. I consider these the golden times of babyhood.

She is up to tooth number 4, drooling all over the place, mobile yet not crawling, sitting up froggy style pretty well,

sitting on her own only to end up falling on her face, saying dadadada tatatata alot, and grabbing for everything.

She enjoys her cereal, carrots and peas. She LOVES to eat like her mamma. Just take one look at her and you can tell-

nice Herculean thighs! Will be going for her checkup this Friday - can't wait to hear her height and weight. Out of the

three baby girls in the neighborhood, Sophie is the largest AND the youngest. ha ha

She may not be crawling, but she moves in reverse very well. This pretty much ticks her off since she is TRYING to go

forward. Combining this reverse method with a few rolls pretty much gets her all around though.

I have a feeling dada will hear his name uttered first. This doesn't bother mommy though. I am looking forward to her

yelling dada at 3 in the morning instead of mamama very much.

She's managed to grab Buddy's tail, ear, and scruff. Doggy is starting to look nervous, but is getting the general idea

to run for the hills when baby gets interested in him.

5 months for Sophie!

Well, we made it to five months and things are going well.

Christmas was great. We had a lot of fun with Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, and Grandma Morphet coming into town to spend the holidays. We sure do miss them.

Sophie has added another tooth! She really does well with her rice cereal - she loves for Daddy to feed her. She likes sitting in her highchair - dinners are a lot more special now.

She is rolling really well off of her back to her tummy - she seems to enjoy tummy time a lot more now. This rolling thing is just the start of her upcoming mobility and we are getting nervous about what will ensue. Buddy watch out!

Mommy started back to work (part time) today. Daddy is not teaching this semester.

Things are hopping and we are loving every minute of it.

We wish all a Happy New Year!

Sophie turned 4 months...

OK. So the sleeping through the night is not a regular thing - but it does happen from time to time. Mommy and Daddy are adjusting.

The big news for this month - someone has sprouted a tooth. Just when we get over colic... yes, Sophie is an early teether. Average age is 6 months for this event. I'm afraid that it is not showing enough to get a picture of - perhaps next month.

Her new toy is the exersaucer. She is adjusting to holding her own head up. Unfortunately, Buddy is having a difficult time with all the new noises this gadget makes - like the kitty meowing, which Sophie found right away.

We are going for our 4 month checkup (with shots) this week - so we'll see if the doctor gives a thumbs up for solids - shouldn't we be testing that new tooth out? This outta make diaper changes more interesting. (ick poo)

We are totally excited about her first Christmas and Buddy is looking forward to opening all her presents.

Happy holidays to all!

3 months and good news!

Sophie turns 3 months today.

While the colic period is supposed to be over - we are still fortunate (ahem) to have a well-lunged child. She actually is doing a lot better. Steve and I have come the realization that we have a very particular young lady on our hands.

So what is the big news? Sophie hit a new milestone just last night: she slept from 9 pm until 5:30 am. HURRAY!

Now if we can only make that a repeat performance....