no place like home.

millie and i packed up the car and went to michigan for the weekend. it was a big weekend in chicago with the blackhawks parade and cubs/sox interleague play... a perfect time to get out of dodge!  we had a great little trip.

my cousin aaron graduated from high school this year and we were able to go to his open house. millie met some of my cousins for the first time... she was lovely all afternoon. i was so glad that we could be there.

millie got to spend a lot of time with her cousin olivia... always so much fun (there's a good chance that i enjoyed myself much more than either of them!) we went to a carnival together, watched her soccer game, got livvy's nails painted, and played on the swingset in poppa and oma's yard. there are four years between the two girls... i hope that they'll like to play together one day.

little miss jekyll & hyde...

i was telling a lady at the grocery store today (as amelia was screaming her little head off) that there is not a whole lot of middle ground where her emotions are concerned. especially lately, it's either gurgles of happiness or screams of fury.

yesterday she was practically spitting up rainbows she was so happy. today...  not so much. just as i've almost convinced myself that she's getting a tooth or a horrible cold (what else could induce screaming that even a ride in the stroller can't fix?), she starts talking to herself and singing her little squeaky songs. i just put her down for a nap i can hear her on the monitor chattering away...

hyde.

jekyll.

the first supper.

amelia is officially not going to win the biggest loser contest that's taking place right now in the caref family (and for the record, it's not looking too promising for her parents either!). she's a whopping thirteen pounds!

we met her new pediatrician this morning and he gave us the go-ahead to start letting miss millie try real food. he said that it might take her awhile to get used to it, but i suspected that we weren't going to have any trouble at all in the food department.

i wish that i could have given her something yummy for her first taste of food (chocolate maybe?), but i followed directions and whipped her up a batch of organic rice cereal. i think that she would have eaten the entire box of the stuff if i would have offered it to her...

if she's this enthusiastic about rice cereal... broccoli and squash are should go down like dessert!

the green machine

i used to have a tidy little list of things that i was never going to do if i had a baby. some of it was spoken and some of it unspoken... all of it a little bit judgemental. i am unabashedly admitting that i've done almost everything that i said i would never do:

* start a blog (surely there are more important things in the world than my child?)

* take my infant to a professional sporting event (how can you watch the game with a baby in your arms?)

* join a mommy group (why would i want to sit around and talk about diapers and formula?)

* fill my house with baby toys (primary colored plastic toys do not compliment my paint colors)

i get it now... whatever it takes to survive.

the baby gear all over the house was difficult for about ten minutes. if it keeps her amused and occupied, bring on the plastic! jason has affectionately named millie's activity station the 'green machine' because of it's lovely bright lime hue. it may be a bit of an eyesore, but she's thrilled with it. see for yourself...

i made a new friend!

i'm not actually big enough to play with any other kids yet... i just stare at them. it's my own way of telling them that i can't wait to be friends. i know that my mom is very grateful to have a lot of other baby mama's around. i'm loads of fun to hang out with (i really am), but it's nice to mix it up with an adult or two every once in awhile. we went to the park on wednesday with kylie and brooke, her mom. this was my first experience checking out the neighborhood park amenities...

i wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first. it was definitely not as comfortable as my bouncy seat at home...

all of the other babies were laughing and squealing, so i decided to kick my feet up and try to relax...(it's hard to erase that worried look off of my face)

before long, i realized that i liked this swing. i really liked it. i can only imagine how fun it will be when my mom actually pushes me... 

 kylie liked me so much that she wanted to get in the swing with me. she was much more interested in me than in her own swing... which i clearly couldn't understand

 i finally had to tell her that i needed some space... my mom says that my playground manners need a little refining!