Claire's handwriting

Claire has been working really hard on how to write her name. Here are a few samples from Jan and April this year. Now we are working on her writing and spelling Dalrymple. Wish her luck..... :)

This is how claire wrote her name in Jan 2012

                                      This is a sample of Claire writing her name in April 2012

Lydia is 7 months

Lydia is now 7 months old and smiles all the time although has some stranger anxiety still. She has been sitting independently for almost a month and just started scooting backwards when playing on her tummy. She is so curious that she grabs and gets into everything within reach. She has been eating meat baby foods since last month. I just tried to give her some puffs today but she gaged and then threw up, so I will wait a few more weeks before trying it again. Lydia is such a good eater and has really started to favor more solid foods like baby food and rice cereal than her milk. She tried yogurt for the first time this month. She also started screaming and screeching last week and really discovering more of her voice this month. She really watches and studies what her older sister Claire and our dog Joe do. Sometimes Claire and Lydia will go back and forth talking and playing in their own language. Claire can get rough when they play but Lydia still takes it and laughs. Claire is a great big sister and still stops what she is doing to help give Lydia toys or her pacifier. She will also try to diagnose Lydia's crys for me and tell me "I think she wants her pacifier", or "maybe Lydia is hungry," and my favorite " I think she misses Grandma McKinney." I just stopped swaddling Lydia for bedtime a few weeks ago and it has been hard for her and me to get to sleep because now she plays a lot in her crib.

Lydia on Easter

Claire holding Lydia at a baby shower

Lydia is now 6 Months!

Lydia turned 6 months on March 7th. At her doctors appointment she weighed 14 lbs 11 oz (24 %) and was 25.75 inches tall (51%). She is now sitting by herself for longer periods of time, rolling over consistantly and starting to figure out how to crawl. She loves her big Sister Claire! They play together a lot. Lydia even just loves it when Claire talks to her or says her name over and over. Since the weather has been so nice we have started going on bike rides and taking Lydia in a stroller or baby carrier. Lydia has had a lot of stranger anxiety this last month and I also think she has started teething. She can now stand by herself for a little bit while holding onto something.

Sister Pictures:

Claire and Lydia playing in her crib

Claire is reading to Lydia

Grandma Louise took all the grandkids to 

get some updated pictures taken

Cousin Pictures:

Lydia is on a roll!

Lydia rolled over for the first time from her back to her front a week ago. I just now got her to cooperate to get it on video. Slowly but surely she pushes herself up. It won't be long until she starts crawling.....

Claire's first time skiing

After Claire bought herself a ski lift ticket from Groupon on Dad's phone we decided to take her skiing. She went skiing at Mt. Crescent a few weeks ago on 2/8/2012. Chad taught her how to ski while Lydia and I watched. Claire did really well for her first time and asked to go back again soon! 

What a cute little skier!

My big 5 month old!

Lydia is 5 months old today and has had a really eventful last month! She is doing so many things now. She is almost sitting by herself, trying to rollover and can army crawl, jumps like crazy in her jumper, eats rice cereal and baby food, can put her pacifier in her mouth by herself and loves to grab and play with her rattles and toys. Lydia can now do the biggest belly laugh when she is being entertained, and it melts my heart! She is a good sport when her big sister Claire likes to play with her (even if Mom and Dad tell her she is being too rough). I think her growth spurt continues these past weeks Lydia will eat every 2 hours and can now drink up to 5 ounces at a time. She has been consistently sleeping through the night and and smiles a bunch!

Lydia eating rice cereal for the first time.

 

Claire has also been busy this last month and can now count to 30, started taking a dance class, has finally stopped crying at the Gym childcare and swimming lessons (it only took a month), and has started sleeping through the night and staying in her room more consistently. Ever since she transitioned out of her crib when she was 18 months she has would wake us up a few times every night. We promised her when she and Lydia both can sleep through the night we will put them in the same room. We will see how that goes....

Claire pushing Lydia in her jumper and both girls are laughing.

Claire is such a little comedian and still desires every one's attention. She is my little copy cat and repeats everything I say both good and bad. I caught her saying "damn it" repeatedly the other day when she couldn't get her coat zipped and "What the heck is wrong with you" when we were reading a book. Then on the other end of the spectrum she will say, "Well thank you very much for asking". She still walks around the house and tells me excitedly, " I am a big sister"! When we were out to eat at a restaurant a few times this last month the waitress/waiter will stop to check on us and Claire will say, "Isn't my baby cute"!

Claire finally got to go outside and play in the snow this weekend.

Chad and I took the girls swimming with Cara, Howie, and Nora last week at the Ramada Tropics indoor water park (Des Moines, IA) and had a really good time. It was Lydia's first real experience swimming. She did good and just did not liked to be splashed too much. Claire had a first also, it was the first time that she could do the "big" water slides with an adult and went on them at least 20-30 times until she threw up after running up the stairs. I guess it is not a party until someone throws up, right?!

Lydia is growing like a weed at 4 Months!

Lydia has spent the last month doing a lot of fun things like cooing, smiling, laughing, sitting in her bumbo seat and doing lots of tummy time. She tries to roll and will swim with her arms and legs a bit. Although she still likes her pacifier at times her favorite thing to do now is put her hands in her mouth. Lydia is intrigued by the tv and still enjoys laying on the floor in her boppy pillow next to Claire. We just started trying her out in her jumper and she seems to like it. She also just tried her first bite of rice cereal tonight. Sometimes I look at Lydia and think that I am holding baby Claire, it takes me a few seconds before I correct myself and remember its Lydia. The girls really do look similar but the biggest difference is Lydia's dimple. A few of our friends call her "Little Mindy." I think she hit a big growth spurt this week and started growing out of her 0-3 mo clothes. At her 4 month checkup she stretched out from her last visit and weighed 13lbs and 2 oz (36%) and was 24.5 inches tall  (58%).

She is either waving hi or saying, "stop taking pictures Mom." I can't tell.....

Claire had a great Christmas and got a lot of fun new toys to play with. Her favorite so far is the Zingo game that Santa gave her. I was shocked how quickly she caught onto the game. She is getting better at writing her name and learned what date her birthday is at preschool. She repeats a lot of random things she shouldn't but maybe that is our fault! At times her 3 year old temperament reminds me of Animal from the Muppets. Claire started swimming lessons last week when we joined a gym and is doing a bunch of fun activities and classes through their childcare. She is not a big fan of going right now because it is new and scary but I am sure she will come around to liking it.

I can not believe she tried the rice cereal. It was awful!

Look Claire still fits in the bumbo seat...