Stevie - Nine Months

Nine whole months. I carried you around for nine months and it felt like we would never get to meet you and somehow nine months of your life has already gone by! You weigh 18.5 lbs! This has been a busy month for you. You made your first cross-country road trip to see Pa and Grandma in Louisiana! We upgraded you to a convertible car seat for the ride and you did great. We drove through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas - Whew! What a great tour of the south! You got a cold and Pa and Grandma's house that was no fun at all, but you were a trooper and got to spend a lot of time cuddling with Pa and Grandma, which they loved. We got to see aunts and uncles and cousins and so many fun animals on Pa's farm! You loved to push his little turtle, Clyde around the living room. You didn't eat much for your first thanksgiving but you did try some of Grandma's yummy broccoli cheese casserole. You loved grandma's pound cake as well! On top of a terrible cold you were teething and finally, your two bottom teeth broke through!!! After a fun week in Louisiana, we said see you later to Daddy and hitched a ride with Uncle Jordy to Texas to spend the week with Taytay, Scott, Molly, and Cooper! Everybody was a little under the weather but we still had a fun time playing. You loved to watch Molly play and were so intrigued by Cooper, who was also intrigued by you! We got to have a fun play day with Keke as well - you  had your first bite of ice cream - which you were a huge fan of. We spent the last two nights with Coco and Ken and got to see Mallary, Remi, Drew, Nene, and Papa which was so so fun! Then we flew to Kansas City to see Bo and Lodie! You did great on the flight and were so excited to see Bo and Lodie. The first night at Bo and Lodie's you took your first steps while we facetimed with Daddy - it was perfect. You are working hard on walking and in honor of your nine month birthday you decided to really walk! We got a great video of you taking so many steps! You get so excited about it that you try to run and fall down a lot... but you are so proud of yourself when you figure it out - we will be chasing you around in no time. You love to clap and huff. You go around saying, Bo all the time and will look at him when we say his name... no fair, but still cute! You love to play with walk-behind toys, measuring spoons and cups, and baby dolls. We had your second trip to the emergency room this month in Kansas City with an ear infection - poor baby. Got on an antibiotic  (which you LOVE) and you returned to your happy self. Saw your first snow, as we were going to the ER... so you weren't that excited about it... You love to eat and have tried so many new things this month. Olives are still your favorite but you have also tried pound cake, pancakes, waffles, ice cream pie, banana pie, and so much more (Clearly we have been visiting grandparents!) You will eat just about anything we give you. You have started to cry when people walk out of the room. You can do a pretty impressive pouty face that breaks our hearts. You have seen so many people on this big trip and they have all loved you - of course!  Your little personality is so great. You are brave, observant, inquisitive, kind, and joyful. You have such big feelings! We are working on sign language and you are doing great! You do 'more' a lot - especially when food is concerned. We love to the moon and back Stevie Tay, we love watching you grow and learn!

 Our big walker!

Stevie - Eight Months

Sweet girl. Eight whole months you  have been in our lives and we are all so much better for it. You weigh 16.8 lbs and are so so busy! You can stand on your own now and are so close to walking, you cruise around everywhere! You love to blow raspberries, wave at people, and play with Fitz. When you are overcome with joy you roll on your back with the biggest smile and just sigh a sigh of joy. We love to watch to learn and play. Fitz is still your best bud and you love to watch him play fetch! You learned how to open his crate so that is a fun new trick...! You love to squeal and 'talk'! No words yet, but we think you are getting closer! Still no teeth...poor baby! But you are still such a great eater. You love blueberries and pears and will pretty much eat whatever we give you! You have such big emotions so we are working hard on sign language because you have so much you are feeling and need to express. We celebrated your first Halloween with the cutest little lion we ever did see! This month we elected a new president and for the first time ever there was a woman on the ballot. Though she didn't win, I pray you grow up in a world in which you have no limitations because you are a woman. Now, more than ever we pray you grow up to love unconditionally those in your life, as Jesus loves you. We love to go for walks and talk about the things God calls us to and we are so excited as we continue to see who God has created you to be. We believe you will do amazing things for him.

Had enough!

Stevie - Seven Months

Sweet girl, you are seven months old! You weigh 15.8lbs You are so busy with everything. You are crawling, sitting, pulling up on things, and beginning to cruise around on things. You are so determined to figure out how to stand on your own and walk. Your little personality is starting to show and its so fun. You are determined and so strong. You get frustrated when you can't do things yet but you don't get discouraged. You are brave and when you fall you get up and keep trying. You practice and practice until you figure things out. You are generally pretty happy but sometimes your feelings get hurt and you get the biggest frown on your face. We love walking in after a nap to see you standing in your crib with a big smile on your face! You love to play with and pet Fitz. Family walks are one of our favorite things to do. You love to be outside and see everything! You are still a great eater and are learning to feed yourself! You love everything you eat and reach for Mommy and Daddy's food all the time. You are a wiggle worm which makes diaper changes a challenge! You love bath time even more now that you can sit up and play with toys! You love when Daddy gets home from work and crawl toward the door to greet him with the biggest smiles. Your sense of humor is the best and we love to make you laugh! It is so fun to watch to learn and grow!

 So busy!

She's off! 

Too many things to do to lay on her back...!

Stevie - Six Months

6 whole months. Happy half birthday sweet girl. You are growing so fast. You weigh 14lbs 11oz and are 26 inches long! You have mastered crawling and are so busy exploring. You are so so close to sitting up - and we can't wait! The day after you mastered crawling you turned your eyes upward and started trying to pull up on things. Slow down! You are so determined to master everything so soon. You work hard and relentlessly to learn new things. You still love to eat and can hold your own bottle now! Mommy loves making all your food and you love eating it. You chat a lot and are starting to make out some noises like baba, dada, and mama, but still no words. You love to blow bubbles with your lips. You are teething pretty bad, but still no teeth - you chew on anything you can though. You still love to laugh and we still love to hear it. Your squeals and laughter are the best. You love to lounge on your side, which cracks us up! You are also trying out some yoga with some downward dog poses...! Your favorite toys are your blocks, computer, and musical ones. You love to rock to the music! You are still a great sleeper and napper. You take 3 naps a day and are in a pretty good routine for eating, playing, and napping. You love to grab our noses and faces. Our favorite time of night is pajama time when we read and sing you to sleep. I love those sleepy moments with you cuddled in my arms singing. You love to read and will go and pull books off the shelf or out of your basket so we can read! We love to watch you learn and explore. Everyday we think we couldn't possibly love you any more, and then you laugh, or giggle, or smile and our hearts explode with even more love. We love you so so much sweet girl.

Stevie - Five Months

So many firsts this past month! You are growing so much. You weigh 14lbs. You had your first big trip when you and Mommy flew to see Bo and Lodie! You did so great on the planes and were such a happy girl smiling at everyone. You had so much fun at Bo and Lodie's! You swam, swung with Lodie, read books, and just played and played. You missed your daddy but gave him lots of smiles and laughs over FaceTime. Dr. Sam suggested to see how you did with solid foods and hesaid he thought you were going to love them...I don't know how he knew but you are such a great eater! You took to it right away and have never looked back! Lots of first foods this month: rice cereal, zucchini, avocado, green beans, bananas, pears, sweet potato, and butternut squash! You love them all! You have definitely found your voice and love to scream - for no reason at all. You can be SO loud. Oh my! You are determined to crawl and are so so close. You scoot everywhere right now but are sure there's a better way to get around. We're going to be chasing you before we know it. Fitz is still one of your favorite things. You love to watch him and just laugh and laugh. Now that you are scooting you are determined to play with him...he's not so sure how he feels about you being mobile yet....! You are close to sitting up and mommy and daddy are determined to help you learn that, but you'd rather practice crawling! You are loving Sophie the giraffe and chew on her all day...teeth are probably coming soon. You still love to jump, jump, jump but also love to play with toys while you scoot around. Your personality is starting to shine through and you are so sweet and have so much determination to learn new things! We love you sweet girl.