Baby's First Christmas

Cutie, cutie, cutie! That's what Mommy thinks of Sophia! We tried and tried to get a great Christmas photo, but to no avail. These are some of the better ones (trust me, she wouldn't stay still a second!). On Christmas Eve, Sophia rolled over - four times in a row! So I know it wasn't just an accident. I know I've said this before, but it is SO MUCH FUN to see her development! I just can't believe how active and interesting she has become; interested in everything around her. Mealtimes are often stop-and-go events because she has to see anything that is happening. Josh and I hope that all of you, our dear family and friends, have a Happy New Year! We pray that the Lord will bless you in 2008.

Oops! That's not Sophia! How'd Mocha get in here?!

Freerice.com

OK, I'm not getting paid to advertise this! But over Christmas, my cousin Christopher told my family about a vocabulary site, freerice.com. It's a new site that lets you test your vocabulary and donate rice to the hungry at the same time. According to Christopher, it was created by a man who wanted to help his son study for the vocab section in the SAT. Those who know my father, know that he would immediately check out the site, and Tim is probably not too far behind either. Well, Dad showed it to me today too, and his words, "It's addictive!" are so true. This is one of the cleanest, most attractive, best designed sites I've seen for quite awhile. Reading the FAQ is enlightening and I will resist insulting your intelligence by repeating it here, but I highly recommend you do so.

The gist of the site is, that for every question you answer correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated to the UN World Food Program. The advertisers at the bottom of the site are the ones who donate, and the more you play, the more they give. It's fun to watch your total grains add up (and try to climb the levels - it's tough!). I was aiming for 1000 grains, but had to stop at 800. It's really fun and I wanted to pass it along, knowing some of my friends, hopefully many, will find it beneficial, entertaining, and challenging!

Zoolights

Opa and Grandma took us to Zoolights December 12. We didn't stay long and it was a cold night. But it was clear and crisp outside and very lovely. Sophia definitely liked the lights! But she was so bundled up, she could hardly move. :=)

Notice there are two bridges side-by-side now. Up-to-date!

Four Months Old!

Sophia has reached the fun, fun stage of learning and exploring. She responds to people, faces, and sounds and is displaying her personality more and more. She communicates quite clearly when she is hungry or not done eating, tired or bored. A couple days ago she seemed sleepy and Grandma (Glessner) was trying to put her to sleep. She fussed and cried and was very unhappy, so Mom finally put her down in her bouncer. You know what she did? She looked up at Mom and grinned! Then she was happy for another 40 minutes! She hasn't mastered sitting up on her own yet, but tries valiantly with little baby crunches. It's so cute to watch. She has no problem sitting up with a little help, though, as you can see. She really is grabbing and using her hands, and the drooling has started. I expect to see teeth any time now. She loves to chew on whatever she can (usually her two fingers).

Last week she had her four month check-up and is doing great. She weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces (75%) and is 25.25 inches long (87%). She also received her first shots, and did very well. It was a bit rough on Mommy, who shouldn't have watched the last one go in!

We've been listening/watching Daddy read The Hobbit on DVD and I'm hoping it will help her recognize his voice. I have begun to read to her, but have to choose the right time; before a meal or nap time doesn't work too well! Also, we just found out that she is going to get a cousin Carlson in about nine months! So she won't be the youngest in the family (both sides) for much longer.

Nursery!

Just wanted to post a few pictures of her nursery. I found my grandmother's quilt and put it up, so it's finally "complete". It's kind of hard to tell, but the theme is Beatrix Potter. I like it very much; it's just perfect for her. Aimee, see how well your furniture fits in there?! Several people helped make it great actually. Thank you!

I can't take the credit for numbers 1-3, but I did finish number 4. I love these Beatrix Potter cross-stitches. Can we say eBay?!

Grandma Hower made baby quilts for her grandchildren before she passed away. Needless to say, this is such a treasure and I'm thrilled to finally get to display it.

Megan and Emma, I use your blanket all the time, and love it!

This is the best changing table I can imagine. Simple, tons of storage space, and the perfect height. Perfect convenience.

This is the bumper pad that Mom sewed for me. I loved the fabric, but we quickly decided making one from scratch was too much. So we bought this green one, and just sewed on the fabric to one side. It was quite a project, but a labor of love, and I think Mom did a fantastic job!

Sophia - November

November was a crazy month, with my trip to Lawton cancelled because I got sick. Then it was Thanksgiving, then Adam's wedding, then shop for and mail Josh's Christmas packages . . . So this blog got put on the back burner and once again I have too many CUTE pictures of Sophia to put up here. But enjoy these . . .

Think she gets enough love?!

Sophia and her Aunt Jana take in some T.V.








Lunch with Grandpa Carlson!

Hey there, cutie!

All dressed up for church!

Sleeping Beauty . . . with chipmunk cheeks.

Hey there, Bright Eyes!

I'm busy learning things. I can pick things up and use my hands now.

Giggle, squeal, giggle, giggle.

Adam and Heidi

Josh and I have a new sister-in-law! Adam and Heidi got married November 24, two days after Thanksgiving. It was fun to have so many family members around, and we got to meet little Finn who was a cutie. There was a big hole in my heart though, as I couldn't share the special time with Josh. He was missed acutely. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Congratulations, Captain

Yup, I get to brag on my hubby. Today Josh got promoted to Captain! I'm proud of him. So I wanted to show off a couple of the pictures he sent me. Nothing really changes - his job stays the same - but he definitely deserves to be a captain now. Lt Col Lee is the one promoting him. It used to be called "getting pinned", but now they're "velcroed" : = )

Three Months!

I've been waiting to get her nursery done and put up some pictures of it, but it doesn't seem to be coming along (my fault; just gotta finish one more cross-stitch). So I have all of these other pictures from October, and I want to get some of them up! She's doing super great and last week moved into her crib - she's a big girl now! She's really smiling and talking (OK, making wordsy noises!) and it is so much fun to hear. In just over a week she'll get to have her first airplane ride! (Mommy's pretty nervous about it.)

Her daddy cracked up when he saw this picture! I'll admit it was pretty funny - there's a delay when you take a picture, and it just happened to capture the spit-up and the expression.

Look at me! I'm a miniature person!

Mocha, Mommy, and I love walks. It is gorgeous outside - cool, sunny and the mountains and water are beautiful! Unfortunately, I usually miss it all by falling asleep. There's just something about the steady rumble of the wheels that knocks me out . . .