New Toys!

Now that Laurel is crawling and pulling up on EVERYTHING I really needed somewhere safe to put her when I can't watch her. I got her a jumperoo and she loves it (we'll see how long it lasts!), but it is nice to have something that she enjoys playing with besides me!

After going to the beach, we realized that Laurel loves sand. Matt got her some sand and we had a sandbox that my mother-in-law gave us a long time ago. Here are some pictures of her first time playing in it. She just loved running her hands through the sand.

She was so engrossed in the sand it was really hard to get her to look up!

After playing, she was so sandy that we had to hose her off in the yard. We even had to put the hose on her head because she had tried to eat some sand and ended up getting it all over her face. I thought she would cry when the water went over her face, but she just laughed.

Beach Trip!!

We just got back from the beach and we had a great time. We left Friday and came back Monday and it was just what the doctor ordered. The seven hour car trip was not the most fun, but Laurel did really well. She slept the whole way down (we left at night) and about four hours on the way home. She didn't cry at all and hardly fussed either. She was ready to get out that last hour (so was I!) but I kept her laughing by making funny faces. We got to do a lot of neat stuff and it was nice to have Matt around to help out with Laurel during the day.

Here we are at the beach. I enjoyed that way more than Laurel did. I think it was a little loud and bright for her. We really couldn't stay long because I was worried about her getting sunburned.


Here we are on one of our walks (man was it hot!). We found a little park and Laurel went down the slide (with Daddy helping).

We found a little beach with calm waves and Laurel really liked that. She kept trying to "grab" the waves and I really had to hold on tight so she wouldn't dive right in the water!

Laurel loved the sand. She would have played in it forever if we let her. She just kept running her fingers and toes through it.

We had to take off her clothes and hose her down outside she was so sandy! She loved the grass and played happily in it while we de-sanded her.

Laurel also has started crawling (as you can see below) and she gets around great now. It is amazing how fast she is! She has a few bumps on her head from crawling just a little too fast. :(
Sadly, the most fun Laurel had was just playing on the bed with Mommy and Daddy. Hey, we could have done that at home!

Six Month Photos

Here are a few pictures from Laurel's most recent photo sitting. We have been doing it every couple of months and it is amazing how much she changes in just a few short months! Check out the one of her waving (she just learned to do that a few weeks ago) and the one of her standing/leaning against the box (my hands are right out of the shot just waiting to catch her on that one!).

Peek-a-boo!

Laurel loves to play peek-a-boo. It makes her laugh and laugh when I jump from behind her door or the couch and say "Peek!". She also loves hiding behind/under stuff and sticking her little head out to peek at us. As soon as you see her she hides again. It is so cool to see her start to act like a real little person, not a baby!

Laurel LOVES to hide under the coffee table. I don't know what it is about it under there, but she just starts squealing in delight everytime she gets under it.

She kept hiding her face behind the pole and then laughing whenever she stuck it out and saw me looking at her.

I went to a Mary Kay party the other night and Matt put Laurel to bed. When he went in a little while later to check on her, this is what he saw...
How cute can you get!!!

Sittin' Pretty!

Laurel has just started sitting up this week without falling over! It was very sudden. She went from falling over after about a minute to not falling at all. It is a lot easier for her to play by herself now and easier for me to play with her.

What is next? Crawling? Laurel is working on it!

First Trip to the Pool!

We made our first trip to the pool on Tuesday. I think the water was a little cold for Laurel, but she really enjoyed kicking her feet in the water.

Look at me in my little swimsuit! So cute!

Aaron pouring water on Laurel's feet!
Hanging out with my friend Catherine
(thanks for inviting us to the pool Catherine!)

In other news, Laurel is teething and has NOT been in a good mood this week. It has been a bit of a rough week (for both of us) and tomorrow is not going to be any better. Tomorrow we go to the doctor for her six month checkup. I always enjoy finding out how much she has grown, but we don't like the shots! Here's to hoping next week is better!

Growing Up So Fast!

Laurel has been up so much lately. She is lapping up solids like crazy. The other night Matt and I went out for dinner and I only brought her a bottle. Bad mistake! She tried to eat our food the whole time; she had her mouth open every time we took a bite. She knocked over my glass and tried to get some food out of Matt's mouth. The poor thing! Finally we gave her a little mashed potatoes and she was happy.

Laurel is also trying to sit by herself. She can only sit for about a minute and then she falls over! It is hard for me because I'm so scared she is going to hurt herself. I feel like I need to wrap her in bubble wrap!

Here are a few pictures of Laurel taken lately. We got her a jumper, but as you can see she is a little small for it! She is nothing but legs!

Matt got some bubbles for Laurel. She thought they were really cool and kept trying to pop them.

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