swinging & swimming...

i've already posted pictures of millie on our backyard swing and at her swimming lessons... but this is what we've been doing for the last few days. i hope you don't mind a few more!

the sun has taken a much needed rest and we've had absolutely beautiful weather for playing outside.

she's starting to laugh a lot now... i often have to laugh at her first to get her started, but once in awhile she's erupt in giggles all on her own. this time on the swing was one of those times. she was voicing her pleasure LOUDLY!

we had our third swimming lesson yesterday. millie's teacher asked jason if she was always so serious (apparently she was scowling through all of the little splashing songs), we assured her that she was definitely enjoying herself in the water.

she isn't a big fan of splashing, but her little legs are going non-stop.

we're going to check the schedule at the neighborhood park district swimming pool... i think that we're going to spend as much time in the water as possible this fall. before we know it, she'll be swimming laps...

cubbie girl

millie went to wrigley field for the first time this afternoon... it was time to meet all of the people that i've told her so much about.

we had a beautiful afternoon in the suites, and they actually won the game (the ninth inning was nearly disastrous, but they managed to pull it off.) i told her not to get too used to either thing...  her daddy will be scalping her cheap seats and the cubs usually lose. today, her first game, was an exception to the rule.

 daddy found some free tickets and a we borrowed a little hat from the stand...

we settled into front row seats...

 millie was clearly impressed to be sitting right behind the plate...

if millie had to pick the best part of her day, i think there would be a tie:

the plastic cubs cups and the ice cream sundaes

a fun time was had by all.

this little piggy...

i brought home a bunch of melon from work on tuesday night. i thought it would be a nice little afternoon snack for millie. i've had enough experience with her messy eating while i'm the one holding the spoon, so i anticipated that this was going to be a messy treat. i stripped her down and let her go at it...

her latest skill: pounding the tray of her highchair when she wants more food.

she squeals and bangs away...

(i couldn't find the video camera to capture her in all her glory)

jake loves that millie is starting to use her highchair... perfect height for him to get a taste of whatever she's trying to put in her mouth. clearly she doesn't understand that he's trying to get to her food, otherwise she'd be pounding him instead of her highchair tray!

yup. it was a big mess...

...but oh so worth it!

monkey see, monkey do... eventually.

friends of ours had a little girl a month after millie was born. avery elizabeth. they moved out of the city, so we don't get to see them very often. on sunday afternoon, we drove out there and introduced the girls... pretty cute.

avery has an older brother to teach her all kinds of fun stuff... she's a little more advanced than our peanut. she's close to crawling... doing a little scoot and army crawling all over the living room floor. 

millie watched her closely...

... but then rolled right back over onto her back and started playing with her feet while avery scooted away.

i'm trying to enjoy her right where she's at, because it's only a matter of time before she's crawling around...which will require me to crawl around after her.

aquababies

when i called a local health club to inquire about their infant swimming classes, the woman on the phone told me that people start lining up at 5am on the first day of registration. apparently this little class is quite the rage...

lucky for us, we were able to snag an afternoon slot. 

the pool is kept at around 80 degrees... basically a gigantic bathtub. there wasn't exactly any swimming going on, but plenty of splashing and kicking (and trying to eat the floating toys!). pretty darn cute.

if i could talk...

i would tell you about all of the fun things that i've been doing!

more than anything else in the world, i love to eat. my tummy is a seemingly never-ending pit.

cucumber. yum.

i was eyeing the bagels and cream cheese... daddy gave me lox instead.

i kind of liked it. mommy says it's proof that i'm a caref.

my mom got this really fun new toy. there's a purple hippopotamus inside of it that giggles and talks to me in a funny voice. i love him.

my mom says that i'm going to have to learn to share the ipad with her and my dad...

auntie cole took us to the green city market last weekend. what a big tease... fruits and vegetables everywhere that i couldn't eat! they tried to distract me with these enormous sunflowers...

they were even bigger than the big pink flower on my head...

cousin lori gave me this giraffe before i was born... it's taken me seven months to figure out how cool it is. when my mom winds it up, he plays music and moves his head back and forth. maybe he's the one who taught me how to shake my head 'no, no, no'  i really like to chew on his ears.

my  mom ordered me a hat for the beach that just came in the mail this week. too bad that it's been hot out... we haven't wanted to leave the house since it arrived!

i can tell that daddy thinks i look silly... good thing he isn't the one who dresses me!

the difference a day makes.

jason was convinced that millie was going to be one of those babies who never learned to crawl. she used to SCREAM whenever we tried to put her down on her tummy. she was perfectly content to spend all of her waking moments on her back, just taking in what was going on around her.

well, to borrow from my good friend bob dylan... the times are a-changin'.

we've got an active little girl on our hands!

 

one of the very rare occasions when i had to wake her up from her afternoon nap... imagine my surprise to find her sprawled out (and passed out) on her little belly. she's clearly not too upset about tummy time anymore.

she can sit up on her own, kind-of. she'll kind of make a tripod with her hands between her legs and appears to be grasping the concept.

we only practice on soft surfaces though, because inevitably after a few seconds...

she's down for the count.

everything, and i really do mean everything, within her reach goes into her mouth. her little arms are constantly flailing around and grabbing for anything she can get her hands on...

 why shake it when you can eat it?

i know that it's only a matter of time before she'll be crawling off of the couch and trying to eat the dog's food out of their bowls...