Four Month Photo Shoot

Superphebes strikes again! These are photos from her four month photo shoot with Auntie Bethany- who, by the way is THE most talented photographer I have EVER worked with! These shots just crack me up- especially the one where it looks like she's in a horror movie saying "Godzilla!!" Hah ha! As a side note: at her four month check up, she weighed in at 14.5 lbs. and was 26 inches long.

No Fair-weather Fans Here!

Like father, like daughter, huh? We all dressed up in our Chicago Bears finest today for the 2008 NFL draft- Matt's on the edge of his seat right now, listening for the Bears' first round pick- Phoebe, on the other hand, was too excited, and had to pass out in her swing for a little bit. (Mommy thought it was because the turtleneck was suffocating her- she has no neck, really- just that round head set on her shoulders, nowhere for the turtleneck to go, but Daddy has assured me that she's fine.) We've been waiting for a good opportunity to dress her up in her cheerleader outfit before she outgrows it- today's the day! Hooray- and go Bears!

Objective: Demolish Hippo Mat

Phoebe's new objective with her Hippo mat is to knock over the play bar...with her feet! I let her play on her mat next to me while I work on the computer, and I kept looking down to find the play bar on the floor! She's having a blast kicking it over, watching me put it back, kicking it over, watching me put it back...you get the idea. :)

Phoebe Laughed for the First Time Today!!

Yay! Phoebe laughed a real laugh for the first time today! She's been smiling and making these happy, breathy, coo noises for a while, but today I was kissing her neck and she giggled! Later in the evening, we had her on the changing table giving her kisses, and she was giggling up a storm! She was laughing louder when Daddy was kissing her with his tickly mustache and beard, but this is the best one we caught on video. Listen closely- she has a great giggle toward the end of this short clip!

Rice Cereal, Take Two: Great Success!

Ahhh- today's rice cereal experience was MUCH better, as you can tell by the photos! Phoebe was opening her mouth for more instead of screaming in protest, and she ate almost the whole bowl! (Well, it actually wasn't very much at all- 1 tbsp. rice cereal + 4 tbsp. formula, and a lot of it ended up on her face and bib, but it was a valiant effort!) She was all content and stuffed after that, and she proceeded to pass out in her bouncy chair with a smile on her face! The verdict is in: we like rice cereal!

Rice Cereal: Traumatic Event for All

Ok, so I was SOOO excited to give Phoebe rice cereal for the first time today...and now I SOOO don't want to do it ever again! Just kidding- but it was NOT the fun and fullfilling experience I thought it would be. It was more, "Mom, why are you playing this cruel joke on me why aren't you feeding me faster what is this junk this sucks why do you hate me what have I done to deserve this give me more more more why is that spoon so small AGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" So I was disillusioned, CLEARLY! It started out ok, as you can see in the first photo- face upturned, interested, trusting...but soon her head turned tomato red in her rage to be fed more quickly, and since I didn't want to steam-shovel the cereal into her mouth, she completely melted down. I think she was TOO hungry, so I fed her the bottle, then tried again with the cereal. She was more accepting and curious then, but still seemed frustrated by the fact that she was only getting this miniscule spoonful at a time. SOR-RY that it's not speeding at you through a hose! Goodness! I felt a tad frazzled after the rice cereal incident...but, lucky for me, Matt had some observations for my future improvement... :) We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

Any Given Friday

Here's the Phebester, standing so-big in the kitchen, enjoying her puppet friend, Mr. Butterfly, and kickin' it big-kid style in her high chair. And may I also point out that, although she may appear to have two elbows on each arm, those are in fact mid-arm fat rolls, nothing more. (LOVE THEM!!) Speaking of arms hanging out, she's been enjoying our beautiful spring weather, now that I'm letting her hang around the house in short sleeves- gasp!- without her sweater on! I've even let her lay around with no socks and shoes on- wow! This is a big step for me- remember when we first brought her home, and I bundled her up for bedtime in fleece pajamas, a wearable blanket, an actual fleece blanket, a hat, and mittens? Wouldn't want her to catch a chill...couldn't figure out why she kept waking up all sweaty...whatever. Chalk it up to "New Mom Syndrome"...but don't say "I told you so!" :)

Smiling & Cooing Video Clip

Here is a really short video clip- just Phoebe smiling and cooing for a few seconds. Just a little tid-bit for the grandparents to get their Phoebe-fix!

Nap Time...Release the Kraken!

Nap time...ahh, a relaxing time of day when Phoebe drifts peacefully off to sleep in her swing, dozing for hours at a time, allowing Mommy time to work on her master's and Daddy time to study his law books...THAT'S not happening any more!! Phoebe has started this wonderful new thing where she's fighting sleep- especially at nap time. Her eyes get all red, she rubs her eyes, and SCREAMS! We pretty much have to pin her down, rock her in her chair, and stroke the side of her face until her eyes roll back in her head. Scary, huh? This new behavior brings to mind a certain creature from Clash of the Titans..."Release the Kraken!!"

Some April Photos

Here are some around-the-house photos we've taken over the last few weeks- playing PS3 with Daddy, going for walks with Mommy, passing out like a tranquilized King Kong on Mommy's lap, and hanging out in diapers before hopping in the shower...April has been pretty exciting so far, huh? :)

Where's She Get That Hair??

So...what do you think? The baby with the blue background is me...where DOES she get all that hair?

This was one crazy hair day for both of us, apparently- just 27 years apart!

Phoebe was a little freaked out here when I combed all of her hair straight up and let it air dry. We were trying a new style, since Matt has been telling me that she looks like a 1930's-era banker the way I've been parting her hair...whatever...I don't think this hair-do is going to stay either!