Kicking and rolling

We probably aren't very far from having a very mobile little one! This is what happens every time we lay her on the table for a diaper change....


She's starting to come up on her knees and propel herself forward! Essie also loves to kick and splash in the bathtub....I started noticing red marks on the back of her legs and finally figured out it's from hitting the edge of her tub! I tried to catch a video of her playing, but she saw the camera and turned shy..


This one is just for fun....she is too cute when you wrap her up in a towel!

Five months old!

Well, we made it through our vacation without Essie! Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday; I love fireworks! Last year, we saw them in Boston and they were amazing. This year, we went to Philadelphia. They were very good, but Boston was still better. I attempted to capture the finale as a video on my camera. I'll try to post it later today.

Anyway, mommy and daddy had a good time away. Essie probably didn't even know we were gone, but she was pretty happy when she saw us :-)

Tomorrow, Essie will be 5 months old. She is getting so big! She is rolling everywhere, scooting around, and LOVES to stand up. She has finally grown into some of her adorable dresses and summer outfits people have given her. After seeing how cute she was in one at church a couple weeks ago, mommy couldn't take it anymore.....we called Sharon and had a photo shoot yesterday! And, Sharon is awesome - she already has things edited and online for our viewing pleasure.

Click HERE to get to the pictures. Just enter your email address (feel free to enter mine if you know it), and the password is 'Essie.'

Enjoy!!!!!

Quick prayer request...

Mommy and daddy are leaving tomorrow for a little vacation - without Essie. She has had overnights with her grandparents, but this will be the longest we've been away from her - and the farthest away we've been. Please pray that mommy and daddy handle it well (especially mommy). And, pray that Essie is good for her grandma's and grandpa's! We'll be home Monday.

Four month check-up

Essie had her 4 month check up this morning. All is good. She weighs 16 pounds, 1 ounce and is 24 1/2 inches long. She is getting quite chubby - I've had to get out all of her 6-9 month clothes already. Most of the 6 month things still fit, but not for long!

Does she ever cry?

This is the question I am asked all the time. I normally answer with an emphatic 'oh yeah' or 'you have no idea!' Essie really is good most of the time. When she's having a bad day, we just don't go out in public :-)

But, for those who have never seen her cry....




The little lip is just too much. It really comes out when something scares her....such as mommy sneezing in the middle of our nice quiet bedtime bottle - welcome to allergy season!

Growing and changing

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. As I told a friend the other day, now that Essie is doing more than eating, throwing up and screaming, we play a lot! :-) Like a miracle, her colic disappeared a couple weeks ago. She's been so pleasant and fun in the evenings! I actually feel safe taking her out in public now; we can take walks and go further than 30 seconds from our driveway. Her reflux has tremendously improved, too.

Essie has changed so much in the last couple of weeks....she has begun rolling over - mostly tummy to back, but she can do back to tummy as well. Sounds great, but now the baby who has been a breeze to put to bed and down for naps rolls all over her crib then screams when she can't fall asleep in her new position. Most of the time she rolls over and begins talking. When we go to roll her back over, she turns her head toward us and grins - she totally knows what she's doing!! We have resorted to using the wedge we had to keep her on her side when she was a newborn. Sometimes that works. Other times, she rolls right over it or scoots her way out. Tonight was one of the other times.....

Her attention span is growing. She loves to sit up like a big girl and tries to stand. She has incredibly strong legs! Essie helps hold her bottle when she's eating. Sometimes she grabs it after a burp and shoves the nipple in her nose - she'll find her mouth eventually! Everything goes in her mouth - even mommy's hair! Well, everything except slobber; that seems to come out in buckets! I'm sure teeth are just around the corner.

I'm sure everyone is tired of reading now....so how about some pictures????

A friend of ours trains horses at a local barn. We went to see a 3 day old philly a couple weeks ago. We couldn't get any good pictures of the baby, but Essie loved looking at the big horses!


Essie loves to swim in Nana Betty's pool. Here she is with daddy, her friend Ryan and Ryan's daddy. Ryan loves Nick and Baby Essie - he's always asking his mommy where they are!


We started attempting to give Essie cereal a little over a week ago. So far, it isn't going so well.....


Now that Essie is beginning to explore, she has to touch everything - including the animals. Ginger is the only one who will sit still for her. She did manage to pet one of the cats the other day, but I couldn't get a picture because I was holding the cat down :-)


She's finally getting the hang of all the cool stuff she can play with in her exersaucer. She loves it!

Court Date!!!

Our adoption attorney called today - our court date is set!

Monday, August 18, 10:00 AM!!!!!!!!