Cousins

We traveled to visit my mom, Blakeley's Mimi, my Grandmom and niece Shay in their new house in Greenwood.  My aunt and cousins came too.  Blakeley loved playing with her cousins and the cats while we were there.  We enjoyed spending time with family relaxing, taking walks, and going to the playground too.  I even got to see some friends at a baby shower.  It was a great weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

We love our little Valentine!

7 Months Old!

Blakeley is seven months old! She is getting so big!  She wants to be on the move and do things herself; we have a very independent little girl!  She is talking (ba, ma, da, and wh) and she is screaming just to hear how loud she can get--our neighbors may think otherwise, but we think it is great. She is working hard to crawl but really just "swims" on the floor, pushing herself around in circles or backwards, leading to much frustration. She really likes to be "on the go" and around other kids: story-time at the library, mommy & baby yoga, and play-dates fill up each day of the week.  She also now prefers to sit in the carts or in the Ergo carrier at the grocery store and Target, instead of the carseat and she also is now in the bigger stroller seat, instead of the carseat adapter.  She is feeding herself puffs and mushy bits of bananas and has tasted various fruits and veggies, all of which she likes a lot...except for peas. She is still wearing 6-9 month clothes but is starting to fill them out and get some 'rolls', I'm sure we'll have moved on to a bigger size by next month's 'birthday'.  There really is something cute about her little belly hanging a bit over her diaper! We are having so much fun together playing with stuffed animals, anything that lights up, and stacking cups and blocks.  

Date Night

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit so Casey and I could have a date night to celebrate his birthday and Valentine's Day.  Blakeley loved seeing her grandparents and Casey and I enjoyed our date at Martini with great food and wine.

Let's SWIM (some more)

Blakeley has been taking swimming lessons every Sunday with Casey.  It is not so much a lesson as having fun in the pool.  She loves the bath so we were sure she would like the pool, and she does.  No matter how loud, crowded or cold the water is, she has so much fun!  It isn't so much a lesson as just time in the pool.  The teachers have songs and motions that they encourage but we feel like at this age it is just about being in the water.  She loves splashing, kicking, chasing (and eating) the rubber duckies, going in the whirlpool, playing with the bubbles, and even putting some of her head in the water.  From the looks of it, she is the youngest in the class but is excelling...she often gets personal attention from the teacher since she is the youngest and the teacher compliments how well she does considering her age.  We knew she would love it!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday Daddy! 

(We actually weren't home in the morning to wake him up on his birthday but this is one of my favorite pictures.)

We celebrated Casey's birthday at home.  I made dinner and a healthy version of his favorite dessert, carrot cake.

South Carolina Bound

Blakeley and I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to visit my dear friend Angie.  We had a great girls weekend!  We had some great food, went to the beach, and enjoyed relaxing in the warm weather.  Blakeley was a great traveler and strangers were so kind and helpful to a mom traveling alone with a baby and all the gear that is necessary for a 6 month old.  Blakeley loved meeting her "aunt" Angie and her cat B!