You Are My Sunshine... in January

January 11, 2012

January 17, 2012

January 21, 2012

Snow! (A little)

Jovie touching snow for the first time.
January 23, 2012

Adoring smiles

January 29, 2012

Getting ready for a walk

So Much Fun!

We are having so much fun with Jovie - we love this age! She's growing and learning by leaps and bounds. And her emotions are showing in so many more ways: humor - we can't be crazy enough to keep her giggling!; affection - when she's falling asleep, she rubs my face and hums; excitement - especially for food!

We have to be careful when we hold her, because her arms suddenly grow about six inches and she grabs everything we have. One of her favorite things to do is grab my glasses right off my face!

She's developing and learning so much, it's hard to believe.

Sitting up in her Boppy like a big girl

Trying all kinds of new foods - so far: sweet potatoes, pears, apples, peas and zucchini

This is before we figured out that peas need to be MUCH more pureed. With Jovie, it's all about texture!!

Playing on the activity mat that her friend Emerson let her borrow.

This is where Jovie mastered the art of rolling over! On January 23rd, she went from back to tummy here. And has since done so, many times in many other places. (Still not interested in the other direction...)

Jovie loves to play on her tummy (these days, she doesn't stay on her back long before rolling over) and grab all kinds of toys!

Taking a break from playing hard

Loves the exer-saucer, too! Her friend Madeline let her borrow this one.

Walks in the front carrier are more fun facing out these days! So much to look at and learn.

We are so proud of our baby and love to laugh with her, play with her, read to her and give her "Jovie sandwiches", which is a kiss from Daddy on one cheek and Mommy on the other!

Five months old!

Jovie has really grown up this month! She's acting like a "grown up baby" as I call her. This month, she's started to do all kinds of cute things, like:

• Rub my face affectionately (hurts when she grabs with the nails)
• Become captivated by the spots or stripes on her clothing and stares at her own arm or leg
• "Sing" along with music in the car - such a sweet sound! Her soft little "aahhh"s are adorable!
• Recognize and respond to her name
• Grab whatever I'm holding or using whenever I'm holding her
• Move around on her belly to get whatever toys are in front of her, and grab things when on her belly. However, no more signs of rolling over after the one or two times! She seems to have no interest.
• Maneuver her bottle not just hold it. We can be hands free when she has a bottle

Jovie is definitely a passionate baby! When she's up, she's up and when she's down, she's down. Our baby loves to be crazy, and laughs the most when we're being crazy. We think it's so much fun.

She has all kinds of different expressions, and a bunch of different smiles now. Some of our favorites are the "adoring smile" and the "crying smile". The crying smile is when she gives you a big smile right in the middle of a crying fit, and continues crying right through it. The adoring smile usually happens after a nap or when she hasn't seen you in awhile and you pick her up. She pulls her head back so she can see your whole face and just stares at you with an enraptured smile. These usually last for several minutes, and her whole face smiles, including her eyes. She studies your face and just grins and grins. We love it!

We don't have a five month doctor appointment, so I don't know her stats. But she is growing right out of her 3-6 month clothes and is moving into 6-9 month clothes. She's a long baby, and a glowing, healthy one.

I took lots of pictures for her giraffe comparison (and beyond), so enjoy!

Adventures in Virginia Beach

The weekend of January 14th, we went to Virginia Beach with our great friends. It was so much fun, and a great weekend to unwind. We played games (including pool), spent a little time on the beach, ate meals together, watched football and the Miss America pageant, played in the pool, hung out in the hot tub, laughed a lot and made some great memories!

Jovie did great on the trip! She traveled really well, slept pretty well for a strange place with lots of noise, and let lots of people hold her and play with her.

We drove down on Saturday morning, and were met with a beautiful blue sky and cool, crisp weather. It was a great day to play and walk on the beach.

Here it is; Jovie's first time seeing the ocean (from the porch of our house)!

On the porch of the beach house

Sun was a little bright

"Hi Peyton!" "Hi Jovie!"

Hanging out with friends

Football game on the beach

The house we stayed in

Owen playing in the sand

Stones liked the sand, too.

Walking on the beach

Ruthie having some quiet time

Walking on the beach

Sunset on the porch

Snuggles with Erica

Sunrise on Sunday morning

Cuties in Bumbos on the counter

Love her little hands

Playing with Emerson

View from the deck

Boys making breakfast on Sunday

Sunday was a little cold and quite windy, so we spent the day inside, hanging out and playing games, enjoying a low key day.

Learning how to play Spades

Having fun with Christy

Moon dough is the coolest stuff ever! It was for Owen, but I really enjoyed playing with it. :)

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to try the pool - Jovie's first time ever in a pool.

Looking cute and ready to take her first dip!

First time in the pool! She doesn't seem sure...

Trying to warm her up to the idea

Babies in the pool

I love this picture; it captures the fun of having all the kiddos around!

On Sunday night, after the babies went to bed, the boys played poker and watched the baby monitors while the girls got to hang out in the hot tub. The hot tub was out on the middle deck of the house - chilly and fabulous! It was so relaxing and really fun to get to have a girls' night!

On Monday morning, Jovie crashed after her morning meal while we packed.

And of course, we tried to get the obligatory picture of all the kids :)

Not always successful, but always a little comical.

It was a beautiful, warm day so after we finished packing up and leaving, we took Jovie out to the beach to actually let her touch the sand and the water.

Our cutie on the beach

So, this picture will eternally make me want to wipe the puke off Jovie's mouth but it's such a classic moment, and something that Jovie spends most of her day doing. :)

Getting close to the ocean

Daddy and Jovie watching the big waves

Moving in

Leaning down, ready to touch the ocean for the first time

There she is! Touching the ocean!

Hand wet with ocean water

Her knee may have also touched the sand...

I could have taken a hundred more pictures and still not captured all the fun. It was a great weekend with amazing friends!