More Photographer Pics...

Here are a few more pictures the photographer took...

Daycare and Big school...

My day was absolutely insane! People kept talking to me and I did not actually start to really get things accomplished until after 1:00. Then the principal came on the intercom and said we could leave early due to the weather! Oh heck...I was not going anywhere! I did finally leave at 4:00 so I could get my little sweet Laela. On the other hand, today was a great day for Laela. I was a little worried she would have some difficulty transitioning back into the school routine. Well...not our precious little angel. She had a phenomenal day! I went to check on her mid-day and she was all smiles! The teachers said she was doing much better than the others. When I picked her up, another super report. The teacher said, "she is the only baby that did not drive me to want to start drinking today." I take that as a good thing. YEA for Laela! At school, she took a 40 minute nap in her crib. Yippeee...we are really working on the school naps in the crib. Then we will work on them lasting a little longer. She did take a nap on the way home, but woke up only to be in a fantastic mood and want to play a little more. Here she is playing...

Oh...so much playing. Laela needing something to drink!

ICE...

I forgot to post these pictures from ICE. It was very neat. If you haven't been, it is at the Gaylord in Grapevine. Everything is hand carved from ice and it is FREEZING inside. (Literally, it is nine degrees and they give you a parka to wear!!!) I wore gloves and the tips of my fingers felt like they were going to fall off...very painful. Anyway...we had fun looking at this great pieces of artwork...we just went through very fast!

Monday...

I love teaching kids, but I am very sad about going back to school tomorrow. :( This last two weeks with Laela (and Ro) has been great! I absolutely love spending time with her (and Ro too).

New & fun adventures...

This week has been great! Ro and I have been able to spend some extra needed/wanted time with the baby. With us having two weeks together, next Monday is going to be a very difficult day for all of us! Here are a few things we have done the last couple days.

Our fantastic Gramps made Laela a wagon (seriously...from the wheels to the handle). The wagon is great because he customized it...pink with a Laela Grace sign! (She sits in her Bumbo for now until she can sit up by herself a little better.) We have ridden around the house a few times, but Tuesday was a beautiful day so Ro took her outside for a ride. Of course, she loved it because she was able to wear her sunglasses and observe everything going on.



Laela absolutely loves sitting in her high chair. We have been using her Bumbo seat to feed her, but here I think she feels like such a big girl!

Her new fascination....water bottles! She loves to inspect them and try to tear off the wrapper. Too funny what kids love. (Don't miss her jammies in this picture. We have been putting Laela in the super cute and comfy Gerber brand sleepers with feet. Well...we just figured out that they do not make them in her size. They stop at 9 months, so we tried a new kind. These are thermal undies. It is a one piece, so that is great. No feet, so that is a downer. BUT...mommy and daddy did not allow for the tight fit of thermal underwear. These are 12 months and Laela had to suck in her belly when we put them on!)

Our 6 month pictures...

We tried a new photographer on Sunday. She was nice and the session was quick and painless. Laela was not feeling well, but over all she did really great! Here is our sneak peek...

Merry Christmas Laela...

Today was a fantastic day. Laela was a little out of it because of her shots two days ago, but she did so well. She napped when she needed to and opened gifts when it was time. I think she really enjoyed her first Christmas. I especially loved having Laela here. She makes me smile and I am so thankful for her being part of the family. I can not imagine our days without her!

Laela got Elmo Live from her Grandad. She was a little freaked out with him at first, but now she laughs.

We tried a sippy cup for the first time! She seemed to love holding onto the handles, but we are still working on sucking the spout instead of chewing.

Laela loves getting cards from Granna and Gramps!

Also, anything with lights and noise are super right now!
Paper and bags were a big hit too!

We didn't forget Allie Mae. She enjoyed her gift of treats. YUM!

Oh man! We were all pooped at the end of the day!

We ended with a great big hug and kiss before heading to bed!

Elf Dance...

Hilarious! Turn on your volume and get ready to laugh!

I have seen these around and finally decided to play around with our pictures. It was a blast! Ro had no idea what I was doing until I showed him the final product. GREATNESS! We have not laughed so hard in awhile. :)

Half birthday!

Laela is 6 months old today! We went to the doctor to get her recent stats and here they are...

Weight: 19 lbs. 10 0z (96th percentile)

Length: 27 in. (93rd percentile)

We are a little on the bigger side, but hey...what can you do...this baby loves to eat (Thats how she got her new nickname "Snacks")! She also got 4 shots and 1 oral vaccine. YIKES! Laela totally hated it from the time the nurses looked at her until daddy picked her up. Oh man...she is a daddy's girl!

Waiting for the doctor...

On the way home after the appointment...

Doctor said that she looks great! She was very impressed that Snacks has tried several fruits and veggies, so now she suggested that we try to get her to 3 meals a day. (By the way...Laela's favorite foods so far are oatmeal, green veggies, and bananas.) We started today with bigger meals and fewer sittings. It worked okay. Laela was able to go about 4 hours between every feeding, rather than exactly 3 hours. The doc was a little surprised she is not rolling over, but we told her that we practice all the time! She will roll when she feels the urge to roll. Also, the doc mentioned that she seems to have a little stranger anxiety (aka Stranger Danger!). Most babies get this around ~6 months and it can last a few months. Hmmm...that would explain why she is so clingy to us when others are around. :)

Some new things Laela is doing....Sitting up! Of course she may topple over when she gets excited, but overall she is doing great! Grabbing objects, drooling on everything, eye contact when talked to, transferring objects from hand to hand, babbling A LOT, big giggles, more ticklish, and of course she is a great open-mouth kisser. She started this a couple weeks ago and it is sooooo funny! Laela also loves to "flex" her muscles and give a real intense look. The daycare teachers nicknamed this the "Hercules" look. We also have fun putting on her bright orange Halloween socks as Laela has a serious foot obsession (Which is funny because her mommy is ANTI-feet). Also, we opened a few gifts tonight and Laela does a fantastic job at pulling the paper off. YEA for our first Christmas!

Happy Birthday Sweet pea!

Now who do I look like?

Here is me...

Here is mommy...

Here is daddy...