Where's Ainsley?

Well, I'm not in Texas anymore and if you've checked out my friend's blogs you'd know we said goodbye and moved on up to Missouri. So why am I telling you this 2 weeks after the fact? Well, mom only has DSL and just got it this past Thursday. Plus, we just found the camera but are still searching for the charger and the memory stick reader. So until we unpack some more, which I'm making very difficult (it's too much fun to explore this new house), there won't be any new pictures. But here's a quick update of what's transpired here at my new digs...

We made the drive, mom and me, by ourselves with dad leading the way. It started out rough but then the excitement and disappointment of leaving Texas behind caught up with me and I slept for about 6 hours in the car. Thank you everyone for praying that the drive would go smoothly. Resting more than half the trip made the whole drive easier for mom...

We arrived in Kansas City and stayed at Aunt Markie's and Uncle David's (perhaps mom can get them on the blog bandwagon). My cousin Chanie joyfully gave up her room for me and we were there for the weekend...

We spent our first night in our new home on Sunday. My bed was made and everything. Mom and dad definitely got the short end of the deal here. I'm unpacked and they're living out of suitcases and boxes. (This is still the case a week or so later, but it's getting better.)...

We've had lots of visitors and helpers since we've been here. Nana and Grandad were here the weekend we moved and this past weekend to help. (Thanks so much, you have both been such a blessing!) Nonni and Papa arrive this week to help out some more...

The weather is different and I'm trying to get used to it. But man, it sure feels cold in the morning when mom takes me for a jog. I think we need to invest in some mittens already, or go later in the day. Yes, that's right, I got a new stroller, well actually it's for mom and I love it. Dad also got me my very own house warming present, the Leap Frog Learn N' Groove Table, it was my favorite at Aunt Ruth's, Mrs. Pavy's, and Mrs. Parker's and now I have one all my own. Thanks Dad!

Well, this is it for now. Mom and I will catch you up on all of the happenings with pictures later this week, hopefully. That of course is counting on the fact that Mom and Nonni don't get lost in the box maze in the garage.

Crawling, for Real

The Highchair

These pictures make you travel back in time to when the entire highchair was made from wood. Don't worry, you're not looking at a baby picture taken in the late 70's. You're actually looking at me sitting in my mom's highchair. Yes, for all those who are aghast that mom would reuse such a critical piece, it is safe. (Although mom did say she would update the harness. The old metal clip has seen better days and the safety pin to adjust the length of the strap between my legs is a little suspect. But hey, it works.)

I do have to get used to the whole tray thing and not being able to freely look every which way whilst eating. A good thing for mom while she's spooning in the food, a little upsetting for me in the beginning (I definitely like my freedom). I did figure out one thing though, the little balls that are on my backrest are good head scratchers. Mom laughed pretty hard as I kept rubbing my head on these.

I've enjoyed three meals here so far. The second being the most enjoyable for me and the most trying for mom. It was great fun to smear food all over the tray. (Mom accidentally dropped a spoonful of apples, apricots, and oatmeal and I went to town.) Surprisingly enough, mom was a good sport and gave me even more food to play with when I had finished eating. According to her, I was "exploring texture." Of course, this resulted in an immediate bath afterwards.

Mastering a Skill

Mom and dad never thought it would happen so quickly, but I am repeating the skill of standing up throughout the day. Mom got some better pictures of this for everyone! It's causing a little trouble though, they're constantly moving me away from what I want (standing at the coffee table). Is it the finger prints on the glass mom, or are you really looking out for my best interest?

Mom didn't quite get to the camera fast enough so she missed the first step...me reaching, really hard, for the spinning wheel that I'm holding onto here.




My legs are a little wobbly here, but I've figured out how to hold on to something tight and increase my stance to improve balance.














Check me out...standing on my own two feet. This new found independence of mine has been hard for mom. I think I saw a tear yesterday all because I'm so grown up! I don't know what will happen to her when I talk or walk!

Waving Hi!

This new trick actually doubles as two since I can also wave bye in the same manner. I've been successfully waving at everyone for about the last week. Most of the time on cue from mom or dad. Who knew that my accomplishment would result in waving about a 100 times a day. It never ceases to amaze mom and dad, so they continually ask me to do it. I better learn some new tricks now to put some variety or spice into their life. If you look closely at this picture, you can see I'm trying to learn how to snap while waving. I love it when mom and dad snap their fingers and I try continously to recreate that noise.

A Little Help Here Please!

What a surprise mom had this afternoon when she came in to get me from my nap. There I was looking at her, almost right in the eye. I was standing up in my crib! Wow, how did that happen, she wondered. Well, I just pulled up a little on my bumper pads, got stable, and then reached high for the edge of the crib. Low and behold, those legs I have do more than just crawl...they help me standup as well!

Watch out mom, walking may not be far behind!

Playing by Myself

I am now truly sitting up on my own. No hands behind me waiting to catch me if I fall, no pillows surrounding my possible landing zones. Just me, myself, and my toys. Sitting up gives me a whole new view of the world and also has given mom some high expectations. Like the fact that I should play by myself for a little while. I guess I should have expected this when I combined reaching for my toys, crawling to get to them, and sitting up.

I am getting so big, and talented. If you look closely at the pictures you can see that my hair is now growing over my ears. (Mom is now constantly trying to tuck it behind them, but it needs to do a lot of growing before she's permanently successful.) I am now waving hi when someone asks me to "Say hi." And, I'm just learning how to show everyone that I am a big girl, as shown in the picture below. When mom says "Big girl" I raise my arms really high! I also do this when I hear her say "Up." It's slightly confusing.

Big Longhorn!

Mom's not quite sure...is it a cow, is it a steer, or is it just a big ol' longhorn? Just in case your curious, it's not a real one. It's a big, bronze statue by the park that mom and I go to. I thought it was pretty cool to see the longhorn up close and personal. Maybe one day I'll be a Longhorn at UT. Then again, I could be an A&M Aggie, a Mizzou Tiger, a Michigan State Spartan, or I could be like my dad and be lots of things (an Indiana Hoosier, a Fighting Illini, and a GMI Bulldog).

I'm Such a Ham

This is me new favorite face. It's a little bit of a smile and just flat out opening my mouth as wide as I possibly can. (I'm sure I won't do this for my mom when she's trying to get a shot of my first tooth. Which, as you can see in this picture is not visible yet.) So, when mom tries to get a picture of me I either give her this huge, open mouth, all gums smile or I stick out my tongue. Mom prefers the big smile since it makes her smile just as big. Hopefully you all will get just as big a grin from these pictures.

Here we are playing peek-a-boo around the couch. I'm so smart now and inquisitive with the camera, that mom has to distract me to get the good shots. Otherwise, I just crawl, really fast, towards the camera.















Here I come mom, you better watch the camera!










Mom's catching me in the act. On my way to put away my shape blocks. Actually, I'm just going to go chew on them. Remember, I don't have teeth yet so I'm chewing on everything. Mom says I have an oral fixation. I actually do with an Oral-B kids toothbrush. It's one of my favorite toys. Especially when I flick it and give mom so much love with all that drool.

Another Pool Day

There are so many things I'm learning when I go to the pool. I've learned about my shadow, and how no matter how many times I hit the water in an attempt to touch it, nothing ever happens. It stays there just the same as it was before.
















I've learned about drains and how they make my book go round and round. I've learned to splash and get my face all wet. This has also translated to splashing at bathtime which gets me and my mom all wet!































I've started to learn how to sit up. At least almost sit up. I like to practice here because when I loose my balance, mom catches me and we make a big splash.





















And more than anything, I just love the pool. It's my favorite activity with my mom, a good way to get my daily Vitamin D allowance, and it helps my mom relax since I get tired and always take a nap afterwards.

Sitting Pretty

I'm getting better by the day at truly sitting up on my own. Mom practices with me every day. Here I am at the park. This is truly an accomplishment for me, two things at once. Sitting up and drinking! Just after this picture was taken, I tried to take an even bigger gulp and tumbled backwards! Good thing we were at the park and in the grass! Guess I need some more practice to work on something mom call balance. 

Swingin' High

Well, not too high! Mom took me to the swings today and I loved it. Yes, I'm still a little small for the toddler swings at the park, but I manage. Although, if mom's not careful when she put's me in, I think my whole body would fit through one leg hole. Check me out as I enjoy the swing at our neighborhood park.

Playgroup

Every Thursday (well almost) mom manages to get me to playgroup with all of my friends. I can't really talk about them a whole lot yet (because all I can say right now is "Ba"), but I thought you might like seeing all of them!

Here I am with my friend Laura.















Here I am with my friend Haley. We walk together every Wednesday morning as well.















And here is the whole gang. Kudos to all of the mom's for getting me and all of my friends in the picture at once. That was quite a feat!

My Inner Geek

One of my favorite things to explore as of late has been the computer. I love the cords and all of the little spots I can try to poke my fingers into. I especially like the back of the computer where everything is plugged in. Thankfully, I'm not strong enough to yank the cord out of the computer, this would be a major issue of mom was working. Mom tries to restrict my access to this area by placing the garbage can in front of it, but it's not working. I'm so strong now that I just push the garbage can out of my way. Nothing can keep my inner geek from coming out! 

6 1/2 Month Stats

Another trip to the doctor yielded two more shots. Well, I guess that's better than the three shots I had got the last time! I also found out that I am growing like a weed! Yes, like a weed, tall and skinny. I weighed in at 14lbs. 3oz (15%, I dropped quite a bit from the 40th% last time) and measured at 26 and 1/2 inches tall (60%). So, in the last two months I've grown 1 1/2 inches (and they wonder why I'm so skinny) and gained 1lb. 3ozs. Overall, not too shabby.

The doctor also checked how I was doing developmentally and mom got the thumbs up! They felt that I am currently measuring right around a 9 month olds abilities. Yep, that's right. It could have something to do with the fact that I'm army crawling, constantly saying "Ba", pulling up on people, taking steps when someone helps me stand, and almost sitting up completely on my own.

My palette has also expanded quite a bit since we had our last checkup. I'm now eating oatmeal, apples, pears (my favorite fruit so far), blueberries, apricots (yuck!), sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots (my favorite veggie so far). Mom's preparing to introduce green vegetables soon, we'll see how I like those peas!

So, as you can tell, I'm giving mom and dad a run for their money in all areas!