Swimming at the Greenwich YMCA

Bailey went swimming for the first time.  Susie and I took her to the Greenwich YMCA as guests of our new friends Ari, Adam, and John.  Ari and Adam had their little boy John 1 week after Bailey was born.  It turns out that Adam is from American Falls, ID and was best friends with one of Susie's Pharmacy school classmates in Pocatello, ID.  Small world. 

So Bailey LOVED the water.  She took to like a fish.  Her mom took her in , and as soon as her little toes hit that 80 degree water, she looked up toward me at the side of the pool and grinned.  She wasn't afraid at all.  She splashed and kicked bounced up and down, giggling the whole time.  She was in there for about 15 minutes and was showing no signs of fatigue, but we didn't want to push it.  

It was a great experience and we are glad that she didn't freak out.  She is going to be an adventurous one.  She is so curious and easy to smile.  

Double Fisted and Smackdown!

Bailey has got the two-handed toy grab down.  She'll grab her maraca, necklace, or keychain with each hand and then flail her arms about.  It is pretty funny.  She is figuring out her range of motion.  She'll take other bigger toys and raise them up then throw them down like she is body slamming them.  Pictured is with her Cabbage Patch Kid, but don't feel bad Grandma Kemp, she does it with them all.  Her turtle, Elmo, the Ladybug, Lily, the Lion.  Anything that she can get a good grip on.  Then she'll stop and discover her hands.  She has really been interested in her thumbs lately...testing out that pincer grasp! 

Broken Necklace

Oh no! All that sucking on Bailey's favorite necklace weakened the plastic "string" and it fell apart a couple of nights ago. She hasn't freaked out yet. I don't think she knows it is missing from her box o' goodies. Not to worry though, Dad will get it fixed.

Sleeping Through the Night

Bailey, Bailey, you have fooled us, your parent newbies. We had your 6-month check-up a couple of weeks ago. You were still waking up in the middle of the night to eat about 6 ounces of formula. Your doctor (not to mention your Nana and Tia Julie) said that you should be sleeping through the night. Dr. H gave us a plan to decrease the amount you eat at night by an ounce every few nights. Well, I think you heard your doctor, because beginning that night you slept through the night! Don't get me wrong, girl, you still woke up. We just gave you your binki instead of feeding you! And you did great. You went right back to sleep. So, just like that you were "sleeping through the night" after quitting cold turkey. I guess as new parents we just didn't know how you would be weaned. We haven't had to feed you for 2 weeks straight. But let me tell you, you sure do wake up hungry in the morning! One of my favorite parts of my day is walking into your room in the morning and saying "Good Morning Bailey," and watching you twist your head and search for my voice and smile as big as you can. I love you Bailey!
Mama

Mini Road Trip

On Saturday we drove up north to go check out a jogging stroller we saw on Craigslist.  We got a great deal on a used one and tried it out yesterday.  TJ was on call, but made it home by noon for an afternoon walk in the park.  It was a gorgeous day.  Clear blue skies and warm (relatively) in the mid 40's.  It felt great to get some exercise outside.  And Bailey loved it too.

The place where we got the stroller happened to be in the same town as a winery that we had visited before.  The owner/grape grower/wine maker used to be a doctor in Danbury, for whom TJ did a rotation with in medical school.  It was one of his wines that we drank right after TJ proposed to me in Ann Morrison Park in December of 2002.  Anyway, we visited and Dr. Digrazia happened to be there so we brought Bailey in.  She was getting all the looks!  This is a picture of TJ, Bailey and the wine that we had in the Park.

Too Cute!

These pictures were from last week and are in our Picasa album, but I just had to post them.  She is so cute.  And the one of her in her high chair...wow she looks like a toddler!  And a lot like TJ, if I might add.

Hair!

Here is a picture I took of Bailey this morning.  You can really see her blonde hair coming in.  Surely but slowly.  Nana tells her not to be jealous of her 3-year-old cousin Mackeznie's hair (it is curly and wild and she has lots of it).  Bailey will get her hair in due time, and it is most likely to be straight.  

Warm Blankey

Susie has been doing a lot of laundry since Bailey was born. It seems like she does a couple of loads per day! Bailey goes through a lot of clothes and blankets due to her spitting up. It is fun to see her reaction to the warm blankets that come fresh out of the dryer. She wraps herself up and brings the blanket to her face...cuddling right in. She especially likes her Deedee when it is all warmed up. She goes right for the satin edges.

Little Drummer Girl

I signed Bailey up for a Music Together class and it started this month. Right now she pretty much just sits and watches everyone else. She is in a mixed ages class, where at 6 months she is the youngest, going up to 3 years. It is good for her to have the interaction with the other children. She loves it when the teacher says her name in the songs and she gets excited and puts both fists toward/in her mouth. So the other day we were listening to the CD from class and I had my drum pad out. I gave her the drumsticks and got a few pictures taken before she tapped herself in the head.

Nana's Visit

Happy New Year! We started out January with a visit from Nana from Boise. She arrived on Thursday the 1st and stayed through Tuesday. I worked on Friday, so Nana became the Nanny for a day. She did a great job at reading Bailey's cues and knowing when she was hungry and tired.

Saturday we went to Harmony Pharmacy in Greenwich, the bank, got the car washed and went to the post office. We picked up Bailey's first highchair in the evening. Sunday we went to the mall stores: Victoria's Secret, The Children's Place, Baby Gap and Macy's. Monday we went to the Ridgeway stores: Stop & Shop, Modell's, Marshall's and Bed Bath, & Beyond. And Tuesday, we took a drive up to the Trumbull mall to go to JC Penny's for Bailey's 6 month-old pictures. Not quite like KK, as I go back next week to pick up the pictures. Oh well. We got some good shots. It was unfortunate though, that Tuesday morning Bailey woke up with a couple of spots on her chin that were irritated from her binki.

We got some good pictures and video's. In this picture here, Bailey is wearing a pink dress that I wore as a baby. She was almost bustin' out of the armholes. More video of Bailey in her jumper. She would jump a few times then stop herself by planting both feet and pushing up on her toes. Then repeat. It is amazing to watch her face while she jumps--pure joy!

TJ and I want to thank Nana for giving us a date night out on Saturday. It was the first time that I hadn't put Bailey to bed since coming home from the hospital. We went to the Avon theater and saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was a great movie. It made me realize how lucky we are to have the things we have in the U.S. and how most of the world lives in poverty. We are truly blessed.