9 Months Old

(same dress as Ainslee's 9 month pic on the right side bar)

Hattie turned 9 months old yesterday!  Ainslee was ready for a birthday party, but I had to break it to her that we had to wait 3 more months for a real party. :)  This has been a big month for our baby girl.  Just yesterday, she started crawling on all fours (instead of army crawling)!  She is ALL over the place.  Ainlsee loves to have "races" with her down the hall.  I need to get that on video. 

She has also become a big fan of food.  She loves oatmeal, avocado, bananas, puffs, egg yolk, and just about all baby foods.  She really enjoys feeding herself and makes a lovely mess of it too.  I was really hoping all the food would help her sleep better at night, but she is still waking once around 4 or 5 am.  We'll get there soon enough...hopefully! 

Still no teeth, which has me totally surprised!  I know "they" say not to compare, but Ainslee was working on her 6th tooth at this age!  Crazy how different siblings can be.  Speaking of differences, Hattie seems to be quite the dare devil.  She loves being tossed in the air and going upside down (both terrified Ainslee). But Hattie really loves riding in Grandpa's Ranger (like a fancy 4-wheeler).  She squeals when she sees it and while she's riding on our lap.  She seems either very unsure or scared around animals, though.  Ainslee on the other hand, was obsessed with animals from very early on.   Just some interesting differences that I would like to remember and see if they continue as they get older...

We had her 9 month check up this week and here are the official stats:
Height: 27.5"
Weight: 16.1 lbs

Fishing for Hattie

Always on the move!

Easter '11

We had a wonderful Easter weekend with family.  Aunt Yo, Uncle Trevor, and (dog) cousin Ruby came into town late Thursday night, but we got to have breakfast with them on Friday morning before they headed out to Laity Lodge.  Unfortunetly, Jason had a "bad weather" make-up day and had to go to work on Friday.  Saturday was spent preparing for all our company that was coming over on Sunday.  We have been renovating the girl's bathroom (post about that to come soon) and needed to get a few things finished up.  G-Ma, Grandpa, Grammie and Pop all came over to help out and help keep up with the girls.
Easter morning started bright and early for us and Ainslee was quite excited.  We enjoyed a quiet morning hunting eggs, eating a huge breakfast, and going through Ainslee's Resurection Eggs which tell the real story of Easter in way that is easier for children to see/understand.  I don't think Ainslee fully understood (mostly because there are 12 eggs and she only had the patience to listen for about the first 7), but she really enjoyed them!  I really want her to know the real reason we celebrate holidays...not just the candy, presents, etc.... 
We had everyone over for Easter lunch and enjoyed our time together.  I know the girls especially enjoyed ALL the attention from their family. 

The pinwheels were a huge hit!

 As were the puff-filled eggs

 Pondering the nutrition facts, Hattie?

 What's inside?

  The bunny cake made by G-Ma and Grandpa.  If you look closely, there are photographs of Grandpa as a little boy and Daddy, Uncle Travis, and Cousin Rachel when they were little - all with similar bunny cakes.  The tradition continues!

 Dads and their kids playing fetch :)

 These cousins LOVE each other :)

 The fam!

Bye Bye Paci!

I am slightly embarrassed, but proud to say that Ainslee is finally paci free!  This girl is/was a complete paci addict.  She only got it at nap and bedtime for the last couple of years, but it was a vital part in getting her to sleep.  Well, the other morning she came in our room frantic because she couldn't find it.  I went into her room and could not find it anywhere and neither could Jason.  I think this was the motivation we needed to let it go... We told her the paci fairy must have come to take it away while she was sleeping.  She has gone to bed without it for 5 nights now!  The bad news....naps have been non-existent and as soon as she wakes up in the morning, she is up for good (around 6:45-7:00).  Ugh.  This has made for some long days for Mommy, but I am so proud of my big girl!  Don't worry, Ellie (the elephant) isn't going anywhere. :)

On the move!

This post is long overdue, but Hattie Cakes is officially on the move.  She has been for about 3 weeks now.  Of course, trying to get to Ainslee was all it took to get her going.  She is a champion army crawler and doesn't seem to mind the occasional rug burn on her knees and elbows.  She has started getting up on her hands and knees, but has yet to move forward in that position.  It has been quite challenging to keep all of Ainslee's "choking hazards" out of reach, but Ainslee is pretty good at asking if it is alright to give Hattie a certain toy.  Ainslee is having fun with Hattie's mobility and gets so excited when she "chases" after her.

Last week, I noticed Hattie was looking pretty close to pulling up so we lowered her crib mattress.  After we got everything set up, I set her down in her bed to see what she thought.  Well, we lowered the mattress just in time, because she pulled herself up for the first time!  It won't be long before we have an extremely mobile baby!

Clapping!

 Always trying to get close to Big Sister!

Strawberry Picking

Last week we headed out to Marburger Orchard, outside of Fredericksburg, for some strawberry picking with G-Ma and Grandpa.  The weather was beautiful and we had the whole place to ourselves the majority of our time there.  We had a yummy picnic and enjoyed some DELICIOUS strawberries for dessert.  We picked a ton, so I made a strawberry cobbler that night and we ate strawberries all week! We will be going back for some peach picking in May or June. 

Heading for the strawberry patch

 Grandpa helped Ainslee perfect her picking skills

 Ainslee had a blast running up and down the rows

 Hattie tried to help too!

 Enjoying her strawberry very much

 Hattie really enjoyed her first taste of strawberry too! 

Where's Hattie?

Ainslee had fun the other day covering Hattie up in all of her stuffed animals.  Hattie was thrilled with all the new toys at her fingertips.