Fall has arrived

There is a slight chill in the air which means that Stephie and Julia are having fun trying on all of their fall clothes.

Hanging out at home

Nothing beats a warm blankie and a good book to make the best of a rainy day!

Stephie learns to sit

After some serious encouragement from Aunt Lindsay this weekend, and especially after watching her buddy Allison do such a great job sitting and scooting, Stephie learned to sit up all by herself! She went from falling over all the time to sitting for upwards of 30 seconds all on her own within just one weekend.

Philadelphia!

We finally made it to Philadelphia around 2am last night after a few airport cancellations and delays. Stephie slept the entire flight, much to the delight of those seated around us. Today we spent time hanging out at the Hagemann household with Andrea, Ian, Sophie, Lindsay, J.D., Allison, Jenny, and Bryan. We also saw Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and Daddy got to have his very first cheesesteak. Yum!

Catching up on the news...

Our flight to Philadelphia was delayed tonight, so Stephie caught on some reading instead.

Twins, take two!

Stephie and Julia are SO cute in their matching clothes! They just happened to have two of the exact same onesies from Carter's.
Stephie and Julia also had a great walk up to the park, and for once both of the bucket swings were free.

Jumperoo!

Stephie hasn't quite gotten the hang of the up-and-down bouncing in her Jumperoo, but she sure likes to dance side-to-side. See a video clip here.

Lots of changes today

Today was a big day! First, Stephie got to try peas for the first time...
and then had dinner with Grandpa Allen and her for once immaculately groomed puppy!

Look, twins!

Stephie and Julia have matching outfits...how fun!

Tummy, tummy, tummy!

Stephie practiced rolling over this evening, but she succeeded mostly in showing off the gigantic belly.
Also, the cutest pair of p.j.'s ever!

Indian Summer

Even though it is officially now fall, Stephie and Julia enjoyed some beautiful weather outside today. They are getting much more interactive with lots of smiles and laughs for each other.

Avocados sure are slippery!

We moved onto food #2 today with the tasty avocado, touted to be the perfect baby food: high in good fat, soft and mashable, and very delicious! We neglected to note, however, that avocados are also quite possibly the most slippery substance on the planet. Stephie's high chair tray was more like a Slip 'N Slide which meant that very little actually got in her mouth, but lots wound up on her hair, eyebrows, cheeks, clothes, etc. This was apparently quite frustrating for Stephie as well as she screamed her way through the meal bite by bite...


These pictures are from dinner tonight at Anne, Tim, and Robert's house. We made some new friends and had a good time singing songs from Beauty and the Beast. (Stephie=Beauty, Daddy=Beast!)

Stephie the sports fan?!?

While Grandpa Allen babysat for Stephie on Saturday, she insisted that he turn the Ryder Cup

coverage on the TV. Looks like Stephie is taking after Mommy and Aunt Stephanie after all, at least in regards to her opinion on sports.

Purple Cow

As we sorted through baby clothes bins today, we found Mommy's purple cow dress that Grandma Rita made for her almost 30 years ago. The Purple Cow is still Mommy's favorite nursery rhyme and hangs in our kitchen. It reads:

I've never met a purple cow
I never hope to see one
But I can tell you anyhow
I'd rather see than be one!



(Stephie has a big lip in these pictures because we kept her up past her bedtime at Sweet Tomatoes; this picture is of her desperately trying to take a nap in her car seat at the restaurant!)

Stephanie Squared

Aunt Stephanie had a layover at O'Hare today on her way from Asia to D.C., so we got to meet up with her for lunch. On the way home, Stephie enjoyed the ride in her new larger convertible car seat while playing with one of Grandma Julie's favorite things: peppermint Tic Tacs!

***Weight Gain Update***

Stephie went in for her 6-month pediatrician visit today. She is now 18 pounds 4 ounces (90th percentile for weight) and 26.75 inches long (94th percentile for height). Her huge head is also in the 95th percentile! Wow! Stephie was a trooper despite getting four more shots today.

Practicing sitting up

Stephie enjoyed sitting up in her Boppy today...

until she noticed her tasty feet...

which were too delicious to be ignored.

Yum!