Kay or Marissa?

Kay and Marissa at about the same age.  I think they look like sisters!

Working on Sitting up....

Kay has been trying to teach her sister how to sit up.

Food Fun...

We have been trying to on the porch a lot.  A handy location because we are getting messy around here!

Bedtime math...

We have started a new tradition in our house.  Kay and usually Craig (if he is home from work in time) do Bedtime math together.  Craig signed up for the nightly email.  It has been fun for them to have something that they do together every night.  Kay is slowly getting the hang of figuring out math problems.

Hong Kong dreaming...

Kay wanted to wear the girl's dragon shirts.  She talked a lot about Hong Kong that day...

Deep thoughts by Kay...

"Leprechauns can make milk just like mommies and cows, except it is green."

The girl never forgets....anything!

Two days ago (while cutting fingernails):
Kay:  "Mama, we can't cut this nail because it has a bandaid."
Me:  "Ok, we can cut it when we take the bandaid off"

Last night (while stalling for bed after being tucked in):
Kay: "Daddy, we forgot to cut my fingernail"
Craig: "What fingernail?"
Kay: "Mama said to cut it after the bandaid.  The bandaid is gone"
Emily: "Kay, we will cut it in the morning.  Bedtime!"

This morning (before any other words are spoken):
Kay: "Time to cut my fingernail"
Me:  "Good morning to you too!  Ok, lets cut your fingernail"

Kay is also our personal assistant when mornings get crazy.  She remembers where anything is around the house ("Kay, where are my keys"..."on the stairs daddy").  Last night during dinner Craig and I made up a pretty complex story and she then said she wanted to tell us a story.  She repeated the entire store Craig and I made up almost word for word!  I wish I had her memory!

Marissa is 6 months!

We have been working hard on the sippy cup and solids.  The pediatrician recommended having Kay try feeding Marissa.  She thought it might help Marissa think it was more "fun".  I have put my daughter to work and she has LOVED feeding her baby sister.  Marissa has eaten cereal, peas, bananas, butternut squash, and avocado so far.  Her favorites are butternut squash and avocado.  I am making her food like I did for Kay and she is enjoying it!  

The girls took their first bath together.  Marissa thought it was great to have her sister in the tub to entertain her.  There were a lot of splashes and giggles!

Marissa is really enjoying her bouncy seat.  She has figured out how to really make it go up and down and get a running start.  She bounces in the doorway while we eat dinner on the porch now.  She is also really enjoying the swing on the porch.

Marissa really wants to crawl somewhere.  She is getting really frustrated that she can't get where she wants.  She is able to sit-up a for a few seconds before toppling over.

Her doctor appointment went well.  She had her vaccines and woke up that night with a fever of 102 and some vomiting.  The after hours nurse said that was a possible side effect and sure enough, 48 hours later it was over.  Poor baby was miserable. 

Her six month measurements:

Weight: 14 lbs, 8 oz - 18% 

Height: 26 inches- 50%

Head Cir- 42 cm-50%

Hanging out...

Kay playing with a "find it" toy that our friend Annette made for her.  Kay LOVES it!

Craig and his little girls...everyone loves a daddy snuggle!

We hosted some of Craig's co-workers for an all american cook out at our house a few weeks ago.  He had several from Taiwan and China.  This was the first trip to the USA for many of them.  They were so sweet and came with toys, clothes, candies, and liquor as thank-yous.  Kay and Marissa love their new dresses and have had fun wearing them.

Daddy in training.  Kay is teaching him how to fix hair, paint nails, and pick out outfits :)

Strawberry Picking...

Family fun picking strawberries!

1st Day of Daycare...

Marissa had her first day of daycare last week.  It was a miserable experience for everyone.  She is still refusing the bottle/sippy cup.  I had to leave in the morning before feeding her so she went from 7 pm the night before to 4 pm the next day with only about 4 oz to eat.  The daycare said she only slept about 30 min.  She looked sad and miserable when I picked her up.  The daycare recommended bringing her back several more times even though I do not actually start for a few weeks.  Yesterday we had round two of daycare and had the same results.  She ate about 3 oz and only slept about 45 min.  I hope she gets the hang of it soon!  Taking a baby to daycare is hard enough, but knowing she is starving makes it worse!

She picked it out herself...

"Mommy, I picked this one because it has a baby on the front.  Happy Mother's Day!"

Hardin Family Reunion...

We enjoyed a long weekend with the Hardin Gang over Mother's Day Weekend.  We also had some of the Hackney and Lindquist gang there as well.  The weekend was a blast.  We had a lot of space for the kids to play and time for the adults to catch up.  We came home exhausted; Marissa did not sleep well and we stayed up much later than usual.  We had several meals all together and enjoyed a hike.  Aunt Malia and Uncle Phil were able to meet Marissa and get some snuggles in.