Lola and Lolo visit

Our family at church on Epiphany


Gabi kissing Annabelle in front of the manger with Lola and Lolo

We met some of Gabi's friends at Glenlake Park when the weather warmed up for a day.


Gabi and Sam on the slide together


Gabi peeking out the bus window


Gabi at the Glenlake playground


Bella enjoyed being outside at Glenlake Park

Grampa always tells me to "leave the baby alone" when I wipe her nose. I usually ignore that instruction, but here is proof that (at least sometimes) I can let it go.


Poor Bella is congested with another cold


Bella sure does like her thumb!


I love baby tongues.


Me and my baby

Before she was born, I thought I wanted Annabelle to look (and be) exactly like Gabi girl, since Gabi seems so perfect. However, Bella looks quite different than her big sister, and she is still beautiful. I am so glad that she is her own person so that I can see how she grows individually. I already have a Gabriella; now I have an Annabelle, too. What fun!


Bella baby

Bella's eyes have turned brown, and her black hair has brown highlights. Her frame remains long and thin (but strong); at four-and-a-half months she is just switching from 0-3mo clothes to 3-6mo size. She has two cowlicks (hair swirls) at the back of her head, one on either side, so I figure that when her hair is longer, she'll be able to easily part it on either side. It is certainly growing quickly (her bangs hang in her eyes already!) and we keep expecting the length to help it lie flat, but it still sticks up like a little ducktail in the back and converges forward towards the middle such that I repeatedly have to brush it out of her face.


Bella smiling

It's fun to watch Bella grow and develop her own interests. She doesn't care for car rides, but she does enjoy bathtime. She always smiles during diaper changes, and she laughs whenever we look at her and talk to her. She definitely loves attention and particularly enjoys baby games like "baby exercises" (where we move her legs or clap her hands). She will wiggle and talk when we lay her on her back, as long as we are watching her. (Of course, I can't leave her unattended, anyway, or big sister will try to pick her up whenever she starts to fuss. Gabi means well, and she doesn't understand that it isn't safe.) Bella enjoys the toy bar on her bouncer and swing, and she likes to lie on Gabi's bed and look at all the colors in her room. Annabelle doesn't complain much when hunger first sets in, but when she suddenly realizes she is starving, she gets mad. She's doing great with her bottle when we give her one, and Lola babysat for us twice while they were here!


"What can a little baby do?
Clap her hands and coo and coo!"


Happy Bella


Gabi is a good little mommy to all her baby dolls. She loves to dress them up and feed them and take them to parties and put them down for naps. I'll have to post some videos so you can see Gabi playing.


Gabi dressing baby Asha like herself


Gabi and Lolo play with her babies


Gabi taking her babies to a party in the stroller


Bella and her Daddy


These days, Bella is working hard at her hand-eye coordination. She started swinging her arms out and swishing them back and forth (in rather jerky motions), but now she can reach for objects with much greater accuracy. Her aim isn't always quite good enough to be able to grab something, though. Once she gets ahold of something, she'll pull it to her mouth, which is great since she is seriously teething and needs something to soothe her gums -- however, she needs help keeping anything (besides her thumb) in her mouth for very long. Her favorite things to suck on include fingers and ice.


Bella playing with Lolo


The girls say goodbye to Lola and Lolo

The grandparents were surprised to note that holding a baby all day is hard on your back and to find that a two-year-old can really test your patience. Lola doesn't remember dealing with that with her own kids. My dad says he doesn't recall me specifically being trouble, either, but he's sure I was just because all kids are. I guess as a parent you have a selective memory. All these smiling pictures help you remember the good times, and the sleep deprivation helps you forget the rest.