First Rice Cereal

We fed Chess her first meal of rice cereal last week and she absolutely LOVES it! Each day I make a little bit more than the day before and she eats it all up. She can't get enough! She is so good at opening her mouth wide. She gets really eager if Jared and I aren't fast enough. We definitely have ourselves a healthy little eater!




I love how her little hands are clasping Jared's. She tries to grab and pull it to her mouth faster!


I forgot the bib for the first feeding, but I have remembered it ever since.

Hooded Towel

I decided to attempt a homemade baby shower gift. Once again, I found a tutorial on-line.




Here, Chess is being my model and testing the usability.


I made this washing glove on a whim with the extra washcloths.

Good Pictures

Sometimes I want to post about many different things, and nothing in particular. So, here goes.


the best face in the world to see in the morning


the blank stare


family walk through the park


We came across a softball game.


my current favorite picture


close second favorite


my smiley girl


Chess is laughing now! It's the best sound I've ever heard.


tummy time


second time swimming


Gram bought her this swim diaper cover and hat.


This picture doesn't show it, but she really did love her float!


drying off


visit from Poppy


This is what happens when Chess wakes up from a really short nap, is still grumpy, I nurse her, and she falls asleep in my lap. I just don't have the heart to wake her. Luckily, I have the computer within reach to entertain myself. In fact, she is asleep in my lap right now as I type this with one hand!

Fairy Dress-Up (Amy, don't look at this if you want to be surprised at what the girls are getting for Christmas)

I found this adorable tutorial on-line for a fairy dress-up outfit. I know of two little girls who happen to love dress-up (aka Emma and Ellie, my nieces). I decided to make one for each of them for Christmas this year. Being the stay-at-home mom that I am, I already have one finished, and now it is going to be so hard to wait until Christmas to give them away! In case you're interested, you can find the original by going here: weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/2008/07/slapdash.html (sorry, I'm not sure how to make it a link).


This is a picture of Chess and me working on the project.


This is a picture of just me working on the project.


the finished product


a closer view of the front


and the back

It is very pink, but hey, little girls love pink, right? Also, I made several mistakes that made me mad, but I don't think the wearers will notice!

4 Months Old

My baby is 4 months old! I will update her height and weight when we have her doctor's appointment in 2 weeks. Here are some pictures of my beautiful girl.

First Trip to the Mountains

Chess had her first trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains and loved it! She is already our outdoorsy girl, but she especially loved the crisp, mountain air. We took her to Vogel State Park, one of our favorite places.

Chew on Stuff Much?

These are just a few of the things Chess likes to chew, suck, and slobber on. Some more of her favorite items not pictured are: her hands, our hands, blankets, her clothes, cups, my shoulder, and whatever else comes within her reach.