I haven't updated in awhile, so this post will be Reese overload. I have tons of pictures & videos to share. Some of the pictures are blurry, and I have no idea why. They are clear on the computer, but when I upload them to Snapfish, they become blurry. I have no idea how to fix it, or what is causing it. But don't worry, Reese is cute even when she's a little fuzzy. :)

It seems that nice weather is FINALLY here to stay, so we have been spending lots of time outdoors. Reese gets to visit the park in our neighborhood several times a week, & she loves it. There is a little tot park that has baby swings, a smaller slide, and lots of stuff for her to climb on. We have been taking her in her wagon, & she loves riding in it.












Here is a video of her swinging:



We got her a baby pool over Memorial Day weekend. We put it in the living room to see if the size seemed right, and she climbed right in & played in there for a long time.



She loved it even more when we moved it outside.






Reese LOVES to eat. She has loved everything we have given her, & it's very rare that she gets purees anymore. She prefers finger foods that she can feed herself, which is very messy, but adorable. She loves to chow down on carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, peas, avocado, bananas, pears, watermelon, canteloupe, pineapple, garbanzo beans, hard boiled egg yolk, chicken, and fish. We are going to give her ground beef for the first time this week. We are trying to expose her to as many tastes and textures as possible at a young age so that she hopefully won't be a picky eater. :) Here she is chowing down on some egg yolk, which is definitely the messiest food she eats.



Reese is really developing a personality, and she loves to be silly and make us laugh. She loves hiding behind the curtains and playing peek-a-boo. She also loves finding the kitty hiding behind the curtains.





Physical therapy is going well, & we're just about done. We have to call & schedule her next appointment once she starts walking, & I think we will be released after that. She is REALLY close to walking. She is taking several steps at a time. Yesterday, she took 7 steps to walk between Matt and I. That's her record so far. She is definitely gaining confidence, and she's so proud of herself when she does it.





She has started making some animal sounds. She roars when she sees a lion, and she quacks for ducks. My mom says that she meows as well, but I haven't seen it, so it doesn't count. ;) Last week, my heart almost burst out of my chest when I went in to get her from her nap. I walked in her room, she looked up at me with a huge smiled, and yelled, "Mama!". I couldn't believe that she finally said it, so I asked her to say it again, & she did. I asked her to say it a third time, and she smiled and called me Dada. Oh well. She has been saying it off and on since then.

She is really into books right now, which makes this mama so happy.




Yes, Reese, I'm still following you around with the camera.







She is making her snarl face CONSTANTLY right now. She will do it on command as well, so we request it frequently because it's so funny.



Here are a couple more videos for your viewing enjoyment.

Moxie was taunting Reese under the bathroom door the other day while I was getting ready, & it was pretty funny.




Reese has been brushing her teeth with the Sonicare every morning. :)

10 Months!!!

Reese is 10 months old today!!! She is working on getting some top teeth (I think I can see 3 coming in), so it's been tough to get any pictures of her without her hands in her mouth. It's also been interrupting her sleep, which is no fun for any of us. I feel so bad for her! She has gotten SO fast with her crawling, & it's almost impossible to get a decent picture of her anymore. So, today, I resorted to turning on the tv to at least steal her attention & keep her in one place. I could hardly get her to look at me, of course, but at least I got a few pictures of her staying still!










She has learned how to sniff, so we have been seeing a lot of this face lately, & it cracks me up:

I kept wondering why Reese would get super excited & squeal every time I took her into our bedroom. It became quite clear, once I saw this new game that her & Matt have been playing:





My first Mother's Day was wonderful. Matt did a great job of planning a fun day. On Saturday afternoon, he surprised me by sending me for a massage, which was fantastic. On Sunday, him & Reese took me to Wildfire for lunch, & then we spent some time walking around Oakbrook Mall, & it was a beautiful day for an outdoor mall! Reese & I wore our matching hair flowers, & I felt so blessed to celebrate the day with my baby girl. When we got home, I got to take a nap, & then Matt made me a delicious steak dinner. I'm a very lucky lady!







Reese found her refection AND the kitty in the window. I don't know which one exicted her more!



A couple weeks ago, Reese got to wear the adorable sweater, bonnet, & booties that Matt's mom made for her and gave to me as a baby shower gift before Reese's arrival. I've been waiting a long time to see her in this ensemble!










We have been signing some basic words to Reese for a few months now, & a couple weeks ago, she started signing back! She signs "milk" consistently. She also claps for "more" (the actual sign for "more" is to touch your fingertips together). She is still saying Dada non-stop, but I haven't gotten to hear a Mama yet.

Reese keeps getting faster & faster with her crawling, & she can escape a room & find trouble in no time flat. Her favorite thing to get into right now is Bailey's water bowl. It provides endless fun. Well, I guess it does end, because then I wash her hands & she doesn't like that very much. She is obsessed with the stairs, & I feel like I spend half of the day taking her away from them. We really need to put up the baby gates. I keep putting it off because I really don't feel like dealing with the hassle of opening & closing gates to use the stairs. But, it's time to break down & put them up because I don't like making her cry when I take her away from them. We do let her practice climbing them under supervision though, & it's amazing how quickly she gets to the top!!!

Reese will now stand without holding onto anything for decent amounts of time. She is also enjoying walking behind her walk behind toy (what a clever name, eh?). A couple weeks ago (May 3), she took her first steps!!! She took 3 steps for Matt that day, & another 2 steps that weekend, but she still hasn't done it for me. Stinker. Oh well, hopefully soon!