happy 1/2 birthday, baby girl!

"doll baby"

6 months old! can you believe it? these pictures were taken on wednesday -- her last days as a 5-month old.

they won't miss just one flower...

this sweet dress is from aiyana's grandma. did she know that we would happen upon a cherry blossom tree on a beautiful day while her grandbaby was wearing her cherry blossom dress? she probably knew. grandmas are moms, too. so they know everything.

love that lower lip.
aiyana's daddy has the same pout when he's playing guitar. it must help them focus.

2 in the bed..

and the little one said, "roll over, roll over."
so they all rolled over and one fell out.

that's not exactly how it went, but aiyana was coaxed into rolling from her back to her tummy. for about 2 weeks, she has been rolling over from her back to her side (usually just to get to her food source).

tonight, when she started to roll in for dinner, mommy scooched back and aiyana wiggled until she plopped on her tummy. she looked a bit stunned, but smiled anyway.
we tried it again, but she was not going to fall for it twice. maybe tomorrow.

squashcicle

big girl jammies

multi-tasking -- sitting AND holding a block

aiyana is modeling her new froggy jammies. this is a 2-piece set with pink stripes and green frogs. and her feet are free to breathe. that is her favorite feature.

she is also sitting (with minimal support). the small red boppy pillow is behind her "just in case" but it was not needed. she maybe could have used it in front when she started a nosedive into the carpet..

daddy-wearing

aiyana helped daddy make his lunch.

squash surprise

aiyana tasted yummy yummy homemade butternut squash! she seemed to enjoy it. mommy baked squash (and sweet potatoes for later) and froze the veggies in ice cube trays. it was pretty easy and now she'll have orange veggies for many many meals. no worries -- we'll prepare a green veggie for her next veggie taste. i tasted the squash and it was yummy. i don't know if i'll say the same about the pureed spinach...

ode to the outlet malls

and to our loved ones who enjoy them....

PART 1

and then the photo shoot was over (by order of the princess)

to be continued...

first tastes. take 2.

day 2 on solids. mommy made the rice cereal a little thicker. aiyana noticed. she ate every bit and probably wanted to lick the bowl.

first tastes

see, my way would be SOOO much faster!

1 tbsp baby rice to 4 tbsp mama's milk. tomorrow's meal will be much less soupy.

we planned to wait until around 6 months before introducing solids. 2 weeks shy of 6 months, and she is definitely showing signs of readiness. now i can't wait to introduce her to so many new tastes and textures. if she likes rice cereal this much, just wait!

super sippy

aiyana loves her sippy cup! she picked out this one and it was a great choice. it has a super squishy top that she can chew on. after she checked it out for a few seconds, she knew just what to do with it.