Snapshot of Piggle's development

Charlie is getting more and more wiggly these days. She is never still unless she's in a deep sleep. She's rolling over both from from to back and from back to front, and she's getting closer to crawling. She can creep backward and can stand on her own if I get her holding on to something. She's also very close to pulling herself up. In short, she is one wiggly monkey.

One of my favorite things that she does is "growl" when she's excited. She is also testing out her yelling and screeching skills. How do you explain to a six-month-old the concept of an "inside voice"?

She has tried all sorts of foods now: squash, carrots, peas, green beans, squash/corn combo, sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches, pears, prunes, apples, oatmeal, barley, rice, soy yoghurt, beef, and probably some other foods I can't remember. Is it hypocritical to feed her veggies that I won't eat? Cross your fingers and hope she's not as picky of an eater as I am.

She weighs 17 pounds, 7 ounces as of this afternoon. She's sleeping an average of 10 uninterrupted hours a night, and she naps three or four times a day for about 30 to 45 minutes at a time. She's drooling like a firehose, but that's easy to forgive when she giggles. We still need to capture the giggle on video.

It's amazing how much she has changed in the past six and a half months. Each new stage is more fun than the last one!

Shopping excursion

Charlie Jo took her daddy shopping on Sunday for some new work clothes (the second part of his birthday present). We put her in the stroller and for the first time she insisted on sitting up and held on to the tray to help her do it.



Go Charlie, go!



Charlie loved hanging out in the three-way mirror.



Look at all those buddies to play with!

Hot TUB!

Does this photo scare you as much as it scares me? Anyway, last night we took Piggle in the hot tub for the first time. (We kept singing the James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party song from an early SNL episode, too.) She LOVED it! The water was only a little bit warm, but we had fun just the same. Piggle grinned and giggled when we swished her through the water and let the jets hit her toes. It was so much fun.

No, the picture doesn't have anything to do with the hot tub, but I thought it was worth posting anyway.

Should we call her Bucky?

Here are some attempts at capturing both of Piggle's new teeth on film. It already looks like she's going to need as much orthodontia as her poor mother, Auntie Erin, and Aunt Stephanie. Poor thing.

There is nothing cuter...

...than a baby butt.


We snapped this photo while Charlie watched her bath water fill up. We're so glad Charlie Jo loves her bath time. It's one of the highlights of our day to watch her rocking and rolling in the tub. She gets so excited when she hears the water running that she won't concentrate on nursing or anything. Maybe she'll be a water girl like her second cousin, Cady Lane. That is one girl who loves water!

Funny e-mail from Meem & Pop

I received this funny e-mail from Meem & Pop (my maternal grandparents) about my sister and me when they brought Pop's dad out to Alabama to visit us for our first Christmas:

Hey, Niki,
That jumping video was the best yet!! Reminded us of you and Erin at 6 months in Birmingham. Your Great Grand Pop thought it was a shame only one could jump at a time, so he bought a second one and your Mom put them in two doorways that were close so you could watch each other and maybe even have a contest. That was a riot. So we know what a thrill you are getting watching Charlie Jo !!
Love, Pop & Meem

Can you believe she's a great grandmother?

Meem was born to be wild.



That's my cousin Lindsay's motorcycle that Meem is astride. You don't see many people with velcro shoes on a bike. The jacket is the crowning touch.

Somebody fed her jumping beans

She may not crawl yet, but boy can she jump!

Charlie emulates her hero

Charlie has seen several photos of Sophie (the daughter of my sister's buddies, Carol & Brian) in a very lovely tutu. Alicia and Faith Carol got Charlie a tutu of her own this summer, and so Charlotte requested that I film her dancing in her tutu to show Sophie. So far, it looks like she has her father's dancing talents. Lessons may need to be in Charlotte's future.

Daddy's birthday party

Tonight, Charlotte helped her daddy celebrate his birthday.



She showed him the cake she made him this afternoon. There's raspberry jam between the layers!



Then, she stuck her toy in the cake when Daddy let her get a little too close.



Before the Marshalls came over, Charlotte insisted on putting on her party outfit.



Charlotte might need a little more practice with the sippy cup.



You can't really see her, but Charlotte was helping her daddy blow out his candles.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Piggle would like to take this opportunity to wish her daddy a very happy 33rd birthday! She bought him a wooden United States puzzle (each state is a puzzle piece) and some wooden blocks. They always say to buy someone something you want yourself, right? This weekend, she's also going to take Daddy shopping for new work clothes. Fun stuff!

I am making my first two-layer birthday cake in honor of the occasion. Wish me luck...

Margie memorialized on a onesie

This

Plus this

Equals this!


Auntie Ernie put her favorite photo of her cat, Margie, on a onesie for Charlotte! We just hope Pacey doesn't get jealous.