Look at Me...I'm 5 Months Old

It's hard to believe that another month has come and gone! Adalyn is growing up way too fast, but it is so much fun watching all the new things that she does. Here are a few videos to show what she has been up to lately.

Please excuse Devin's commentary on this one.

Also, I have come to find that my attempts to lay Adalyn down for a nap don't always work. I swaddle her up really nice so that she can have a comfortable, uninterrupted sleep... just as this picture shows.
















However, when I go back in to check on her, this is generally what I find...

She breaks free from her blanket, and scoots herself all the way to the other side of the crib. My favorite is when she just looks up at me and grins like, "You can't get mad at me!" It's hilarious.

Hello... Nice to Meet You

We finally got to meet our nephew Kayson! My sister Angie and her husband Aaron finally came to visit from Ohio. This is the first we have seen of them since their little boy was born and it was so fun. Adalyn immediately began reaching for him and touched his face and hands. It was so adorable ( I didn't get any pictures of that but my sister did so hopefully I will get them soon). Since Kayson and Adalyn met they have enjoyed watching each other and even talking to each other. It is pretty funny to watch. Kayson is such a handsome little man and we are so glad that we have been able to spend some time with him. It has been so fun having all of them out here. They were also able to bless him here so the whole family could be there. It was great.

The cute family on Kayson's Blessing Day.

The Mama's

The Papa's

And the Grandparents

Not My Finest Hour

On Friday night, my high school had their Homecoming game and invited the alumni cheerleaders to cheer during the second half of the game. My little sister Melissa and my friend Megan both wanted to do it and so I thought it would be fun to join them. Now, we have all heard of Momnesia where supposedly new moms lose some brain mass for the first 6 months after giving birth. But what I didn't realize is that it includes the loss of coordination as well! Although, the cheering went as well as it could after 7 years, my attempt at tumbling was disastrous. Yep, I did some back-hand-springs... or I tried to anyways. I don't know what came over me, maybe being in front of a crowd again, or just the feeling of being a cheerleader, but I had the urge to do some of my old tricks. So I began... one back-hand-spring down, and then one back-HEAD-spring followed. And the crowd went...Ohh!!! I guess I should have practiced a little before attempting it in front of a huge crowd! But it was fun, nonetheless. The best part of the evening... fitting into my high school uniform 4 months after giving birth! Now that's an accomplishment!




A former cheerleader with
a future cheerleader!

Labor Day Weekend

Our weekend was quite eventful. On Friday Adalyn had her first taste of rice cereal. It was hilarious because she kept attacking the spoon... I guess we weren't feeding her fast enough! She now eats it everyday and she really likes it. (The video isn't the best... I had troubles!)

Gotta love that face!

Then on Saturday we headed north for some "camping" with Grandma and Grandpa Wayment. Now I used quotations, because can you really call it camping when you stay in a cabin that is nicer than your house? Anyways, Adalyn loved being outdoors and really enjoyed being with her grandparents and aunt and uncle. Thanks for everything Mom and Dad!

Addie loved the campfire. She just stared at it the whole time.

On Monday Adalyn got a new toy from Grandma and Grandpa Payne. It is so great because Addie loves being up so she can see everything. Right away she figured out how to pull herself up so that she could put the toys in her mouth. Thanks Mom and Dad... she loves it!

Learning how to stand and sit by herself.

Rollin' in my Homie

Today Adalyn had her 4 month check up. The results were: Height: 24 1/2 in. (50th percentile), Weight: 13.6 lbs. (40th percentile), and Head: 16 1/2 in. (75th percentile). The doctor said she is looking great and is probably ready to try out some new foods. I was ready to start handin out the Snickers and Coke but I guess we have to go with Rice Cereal or something. She handled the shots very well this time and only cried for a minute afterwards.
Just prior to our visit to the doctor, I laid Addie on the ground for some playtime. As we were about to leave I ran upstairs to grab my shoes. When I came back down, much to my surprise, Addie was almost on her stomach. She then fell back to her back but immediately pushed herself over to her stomach again. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Well, after the doctor's appointment, we again laid her down for some playtime. Here is the footage that we got...

4 Months Old Today

Today Adalyn turned 4 months old... Hard to believe but it's true. We have had 4 months of baby bliss as she is literally the perfect baby ( gee... where have you heard that before?) Lately, she has become much more inquisitive and we can tell that she is trying to figure the world out (I think I am still trying to do that!) She is loads of fun and I appreciate every day that I have with her. Here are some pictures of things we've done lately...

4months old and SO SOPHISTICATED

Adalyn has found her thumb and would rather suck that and just hold her binkie

Adalyn loves to grab things and feel them with her hands...she has even tried to grab my spaghetti mid bite! She is a very curious girl and loves to see and touch new things.

Finding new ways to sleep...

Addie loves to stand and get a better view of what is going on. She has also begun grabbing her legs and holding them up... she is very helpful when we change her diapers as she holds her legs up for us while we wipe.

Her first taste of El Salvador... though I doubt it will be her last!

We also went to our cousin Ryan's farewell... he will be serving in West Africa. Good Luck!!

Although we haven't been lucky enough to get any footage, Adalyn has begun to roll over. She surprised us on Sunday during her tummy time session as she decided that she had had enough and pushed herself over to her back! Crawling here we come!

Recently, I discovered what a horrible cook I am. I always knew that I wasn't the best, but now that I have been forced to cook more it isn't a pretty sight. Below are pictures of my attempt to make Polka Dot Kiss Cookies... shameful I know! ( for those of you who don't know what those are, know they aren't supposed to look like that!)

Finding Her Voice

We were able to get some video last night of Adalyn's new way to talk. She has discovered her voice at full capacity and she loves letting it out. In this first video, if you listen really closely, you can hear her say mama at the end. She says mom and mama all the time and I don't think I could be any prouder!(Although Daddy is a bit jealous!)

And here is a picture especially for Grandma Payne... her 1/4 African granddaughter sitting in an African chair, wearing her African outfit!