Some of my Favorite Pics and Videos from July...

Ben, Molly and cousin Cambria

at a park with a water feature.

(7 July 2010)

Coco being read to sleep.

Daddy's favorite book to read to Coco: Chronicles of Narnia.
(12 July 2010)

Ben, Molly, and Chloe....aren't they so cute!!!
(20 July 2010)

Raspberries...need I say more?

Ben and Coco playing again. (right)

Chloe discovers cucumbers... (below)
But nobody better dare touch that cucumber!!!

(29 July 2010)

8 Bits of News About Chloe

1. Chloe started nodding her head and sort of mouthing "ya" about 2 weeks ago, around her 9 month mark (end of September 2010). So now when asked a question she will most often nod her head and make a "ya" sound. However, she still occasionally shakes her head no...which seems to give credence to the times she nods 'yes.' :D
2. Also at about 9 months exactly (end of September 2010) she went from 2-3 feedings per night to 0-1!!! Hooray for Coco!!! ...Mommy and Daddy are especially elated!!
3. Last week on Wednesday (6 Oct 2010), Chloe pulled herself up onto her knees (at my sister's coffee table). She has repeated this action a few times since then. (See Exhibit A)
4. Chloe sat herself up for the first time last Saturday (9 Oct 2010) morning around 4 am. She was in her crib sleeping and Rob was gone on a business trip. He usually gets her in the night when she needs to eat. <3 (See Exhibit B: You can just make out a sitting Chloe in this blurry picture of Chloe through the video monitor.)
5. Chloe started crawling on Sunday (10 Oct 2010). Only a few "steps" at a time before she would spread her arms and legs straight out (to the side that is) and let her body flop down onto her tummy, but hey, it's progress. :-) (She's gone a few more paces at a time since then.)
6. She still likes to sleep with soft things on her face, just like when she was SO small (compared to now) :-P and used to bury her face into her soft bumper pad in her cradle. Now it's a little silk blanket that I made for her that she puts in her face when she's sleeping. (See exhibit C: A clearer view from the video monitor)
7. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but when Chloe was only a few months old, she would get quite put out if I tried to nurse her when she was tired. I've heard that many babies like to go to sleep nursing. Not Chloe, even to this day, if she's tired AND hungry, she'll usually choose sleep over eating and if I try to persuade her otherwise, she still gets QUITE PUT OUT!! :)

8. Last Friday morning she went for 13.5 hours without nursing!! (15 Oct 2010) That same morning, before she'd even gotten up to eat, I heard her just playing quietly in her crib. After a little while I asked Molly to get her and bring her to my room to nurse. When Molly went in there to get her, she had pulled herself to a standing position against the rail and was shakily standing there...probably not sure what to do now that she'd gotten herself into that predicament. :) I've yet to witness this phenomenon myself.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:



Exhibit C:

First Nun-Chucks

With Rob as her dad,
it's definitely....

A Right of Passage

Kids Bowl Free at Fat Cats

We went to Fat Cats a few times this summer because they had a fun deal where kids could bowl two free games every day, all summer.

Little Things About Chloe...

1. Chloe will be your best friend, for a while, if you have any strings/ties/ropes attached to your clothing that she can play with!!
2. Grandma Neener (my mom) discovered her 2nd tooth about two weeks after Grandpa Jan discovered the first. (Her first tooth was lower front right, 2nd tooth lower front left.)
3. Chloe takes good naps most of the time. She usually fusses when we lay her down but most times stops immediately when we either stick her pacifier in her mouth or put her little silk blanket over her face. It's almost like a switch. :) Then she'll roll around a bit and lately she's been ending up falling asleep with her little bum in the air. :)
4. She still likes to wave at people. It's not 100% of the time and she's notorious for not being willing to perform on cue. But her favorite time to wave is over "Daddy's" shoulder. She seems to know that she's the one that gets to leave and perfectly happy to let everybody know. One night Rob was holding her and reading scriptures. Every few minutes she'd look over at me at which point I'd smile and wave at her. She'd smile and wave back and then look away, perfectly happy listening to her daddy read.
5. Coco is extremely flexible. She pulls her legs in all kinds of weird contortions without a moments thought. She still, occasionally chews on her toes, when there isn't something else more interesting to look at/grab/chew/suck. And almost always has one or both of her legs straight in the air.
6. Like most kids, Chloe has an affinity for other kids. She likes Ben and other kids quite a bit but it's a pretty well-known fact around here that she really, really likes her sister. It seems that, when Coco is in the mood to laugh, Molly will frequently make her laugh without even meaning to. (Not to mention the belly-laughs she gives when Molly is trying.) She likes her siblings so much that when she's in my room with me and I go to the door and open it she gets all wiggly and fast-breathing as she excitedly looks around for Molly and Ben. As if to say, "Here I am guys!! Let's play!!"
7. Chloe loves to play games and loves music. If you start to play: "patty cake", "this little piggy", one of her musical toys or books, or even a fun children's song, her eyes light up with a happy knowing look. And with the music she'll try to dance. :)
8. The past few days she's started to squint her eyes all the way shut, scrunch up her nose and smile when somebody looks over at her.
9. Her first encounter with any kind of solid food was on July first. She was quite dubious. We offered food to her a few more times in the next few weeks. She wasn't a big fan. Then about a month later or so, we tried food again and she's a BIG fan. Anytime she sees me carrying food, she instinctively knows what it is and starts smacking her lips and waving her little arms and kicking her little legs. She thinks she gets to eat whatever I do. :-P She even tried to eat a chip right out of my mouth (on two different occasions). So far she's had, and likes (in order of appearance...to the best of my memory and knowledge):

• zucchini
• sweet potato/yam
• avocado
• yellow squash
• rice
• rice cereal
• bananas (whole or mashed)
• cucumber
• grapes
• pear
• yogurt (doesn't matter what kind)
• Baby Mum Mums (crispy rice cracker things)
• applesauce
• "Morning O's" (a version of Cheerios)
• potato
• a bite of poppy seed muffin (fed to her by daddy) :P
• jarred baby food (we got some for our camping trip, winter squash, spinach and potatoes, grandma's turkey dinner, berries and apples... she liked the spinach and potatoes least)
• celery
• carrots
• chicken
• peach
• cantaloupe
• homemade chicken and rice soup

The Story of Food

hi mom, this is fun to sit at the counter with ben.

are we gonna play a game?

well...that's different. you've never showed me anything like that before.

i'm not quite sure what to think of it...

oh!!! you're sticking it in my mouth?!!

that strange, slimy green stuff is a bit worrisome.
what do you think molly? should i open my mouth?

and the verdict is...


YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING MOM!
i'll stick with the milk!!! :P




(1 July 2010)

The Rest of June 2010

The Neighborhood Splash Park

(18 June 2010)

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Chloe, holding onto her paci....
have I mentioned how adorable I think those little hands are??

(20 June 2010)

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Ben and Rob spent six days at Bear Lake, UT for scout camp.

(21-26 June 2010)

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Not sure who gets the biggest kick out of the bouncy chair!!(29 June 2010)

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Chloe learning how to pray...
not to mention chew on daddy's hand...
come to think of it, she's a natural at getting things into her mouth,
no lessons needed. :-P

(30 June 2010)

Molly's Dance Recital

As previously mentioned, (I think) :), Grandma Paula
got Molly signed up for Ballet and Tap this last spring. Molly has REALLY loved it!! She does ballet kicks every where she goes.

Her first recital was on June 12th.
It happened on a VERY busy weekend
so since Chloe and I were the only ones who got to attend,
I took some pics and videos for all to enjoy. :)


The first three pics and video are from her tap number.
It was called "Shake Rattle and Roll".

These next pics and video feature her ballet performance.

It was a song from the "Tinkerbell" movie...

My camera didn't do so well in that dark theater,
so these pics/videos were the best I got.

But at least they give a little taste. :)

June Happenings Part II...

On June 9th Chloe and I went to the pool for her first time.

We met a bunch of my sisters and their kids there.

Chloe and I got in for a grand total of 3 minutes after which she was completely tuckered out!!

Sweet Sleeping Chloe at the pool

Melissa and Chloe's "cousin-twin" Ryker. Also Grandma Neener.

Julie and Lindy

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Chloe was really favoring her right leg. Then she started crying out whenever we'd touch/hold her right shin. Given the fact that her bone structure might not quite be up to par due to her mommy's gene's, on June 13th we decided to get it checked out.

Turned out that they figured it was a sprain and thought a splint would help for a few days.

Mommy put leggings on her to disguise the splint

(so far she just has one on the non-splint-ed leg)

(Note: after consulting "witch doctor" Julie, she said it was a chiropractic issue.
Our chiro, Dr. Bill found that her right SI joint was quite tight and he's been working it out.
It was so tight that Chloe didn't like him touching it at first but since then it has been worked out and she stands on both legs just fine) :)

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June 14th was the last day of school.

The school had field day that day.
Molly got her face painted.

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Ben also had a class mask-play/production that Rob and I dropped by to watch.

Afterward Ben explained his mask to me:

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On June 15th they were having a rubber ducky day at the South Jordan public library.

The kids got to paint their own.
There were also drain gutter and straws with which the kids could do rubber ducky races.

This is Molly painting her ducky:

Ben and his ducky in progress:

Ben's finished ducky:

Molly's:

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Big brother and little sister reading books together (also June 15th):