Wednesday Septhember 17th

Everything is going fine in Virginia. Our jobs are stable and our health is good. Our hearts go out to those of you who are not as fortunate.

(Too Much Info warning) Rachel has progressed through Rice (more mash like and not the normal rice), Oatmeal, Green Beans and now to Oatmeal with Prunes. She has really taken to eating things not milk. But these new foods have caused her to be backed up and she had not gone for almost a week. The doctor was not so concerned but suggested we add prunes to her oatmeal. So we did and she finally went today. Why am i telling all of you this? Well i really wanted to explain the odd colored food all over Rachel's face in these pictures. It is indeed prunes and oatmeal.

Sunday September 14th

Life as an Ohio sports fan is rough and frustrating. The Indians are horrible, the Browns suck and Ohio State is what it is. They are like a 3rd grade bully who beats up the small and timid kids. But once a kid its own size comes along and stands up for himself, the bully cries and runs away.

Rachel is doing great. She just had her 6-month checkup and she is developing at an accelerated pace. She weighs 15lbs and 8ounces. She is also 26 inches long. Here are the bullet points from a checklist the doctor gave us about what to expect from a 6-month old baby.
*Rolls both ways - She has been doing this for at least 6 weeks now.
*Pulls to sit with assistance - Again, she has been doing this for about 2 months.
*Sits with support or leans forward on hands - She has been sitting without assistance for over a week. Her unofficial time for not falling is 25 minutes.
*Bears some weight on lower extremities - if you hold her hands, she will walk all over the place and has been for some time.
* Shows signs of displeasure - She gets awful angry and will give you a mean look if you take anything from her.

She can officially crawl now also. She scoots her way forward a few feet to go for toys and even though it takes some effort and concentration, she is moving.

She also babbles and makes noise constantly. She has quite an annoying whine she likes to make for long periods of time. I guess it is just her way of practicing how to talk. I figure once she starts, she will never stop. Much like her mother...

We don't have alot of "great" pictures to post, so i will give you the best of the best.

Wednesday September 3rd

Rachel now has the ability to sit up all by herself for long stretches of time. We are talking minutes. many of them. We can plop her on the floor sitting up, surround her with toys and she will sit there upright playing with them for hundreds and hundreds of seconds. She made it for 13 consecutive minutes tonight before she came tumbling down on her side reaching for a toy. Here are a few pictures of our growing baby's maturing motor skills.

Monday September 1st

Happy Labor Day everyone. Here are some pictures of Rachel's latest feeding frenzy. Who would have thought rice cereal and milk would be so much fun. I hope you enjoy...

Sunday August 31st

Nothing of note going on in Virginia. Rachel has been battling a slight cold and fever but she is doing fine. There is not really anything else going on of note here. Rachel does not like "eating" her rice meal. She tends to turn her head whenever the she sees the spoon. And the times that she does not spin her head, Ala 'The Exorcist', she grabs the spoon and flings it's contents all over. Resembling 'King Kong' grabbing the planes on the empire state building. So yes, my daughter is a cross between a giant gorilla and a head twirling devil possessed child.

Rachel is babbling more and stringing consonants. She also seems to be getting longer and longer. She also doesn't really cry or make a fuss unless she is hungry or wet. She also sleeps most of the night. We truly have one of the best babies and we are thankful.

Here are some pictures that we have taken. Rachel has started to sleep with her butt up in the air. It does not look comfortable but who am i to judge. Here is a picture of her sleeping like that.

Wednesday August 20th

Not much to report on here in Virginia. We have been doing fine and I guess no news is good news. We have been watching a lot of the Olympics and have been cheering on team USA. Rachel doesn't know it yet, but tonight she will be eating "real" food for the first time. Lisa has bought her some rice cereal and an eating chair. We shall see how she reacts to food that does not come from Lisa's hoots. Here are some pictures taken over the last week or so...You will notice some red-eyes in the photos. My new computer did not come with a red-eye remover program, and i have yet to find one that I like that is not expensive. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. And yes, that is her playing with my gorgeous foot.

Friday August 1st

Today, Lisa and I upgraded our cell phones to the new iPhone. We have spent the whole evening playing with our new toys. I have created a Benny Hill themed ('yakety sax' is the actual name of the song during the closing credits) ring tone that i thoroughly am enjoying.

Great-Grandpa Joe and Grandma Wendy left today after a week stay with us. Our child care provider was off this week for vacation. The two of them filled in nicely for us and Rachel didn't seem to mind.

Rachel is growing and learning more and more every day. She seems to investigate things by trying to taste them first. I guess that is why she always has drool running down her chin. Here are some pictures taken in the last week.