6 months old!

This month we had so much fun with our baby girl. She loves to smile, and these days it's pretty easy to get one out of her. Usually, we can just give her a big grin, and she will smile right back at us. My favorite part of the day, is going into her room to get her after she wakes up. She whines when she is ready for us to come and get her, but as soon as she sees our faces over the top of the crib, she gives us a big smile and starts talking to us.

Sophia has gotten to try a few new foods this month, and she loves to eat! Sweet potatoes are her favorite, and we have also added in oatmeal and applesauce. When she is eating one of her favorite foods, she'll get really excited and start making panting noises and kicking her legs and arms around.

A few fun things she has done this month are blowing raspberries, tripoding, pushing herself forward when she wants to get out of her car seat, highchair, etc, and grabbing different toys in each hand.

At her 6 month checkup, we discovered that Sophia is tall and skinny! She weighs 15lb 2oz (33rd%) and is 26 1/4 in (69th%). Here are a few fun pictures of her from this past month....

Holding her own bottle (not a regular thing)


Bundled up and ready to go!


Reading her new book

Splashing in the bath

Sophia has outgrown her infant bath tub, and we finally got around to buying her a new one. When we first got it, I thought it was a bit ridiculous, but it looked comfortable and we decided to try it out. When we first put Sophia in it, she looked a little unsure of herself. We showed her how to put her hands in the water and swirl it around. Then she started splashing with her hands and kicking her legs. What a mess!

What am I doing inside this crazy duck?


I think this is pretty comfy. I could get used to this.


Splash, splash, splash


Best....Tub....Ever!!!

The other 7 nights

Sophia had a great 1st Hanukkah this year. Every night we let her help us light the menorah, and went around lighting our various toy menorahs too. We gave her a gift to open each night and she seems to like the wrapping paper more than the gift itself! We spent one night of Hanukkah in Valdosta with our relatives, and Sophia got to play with her cousin Julia. At the end of Hanukkah, we had a family party in Atlanta where Sophia got lots of gifts and we had a yummy dinner with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In Valdosta with her stuffed menorah


Holding hands with cousin Julia


Lighting the candles with Daddy


Opening a present


The last night of Hanukkah


Family Hanukkah party with one of her gifts

First Night of Hanukkah

Last Friday night, Sophia got to celebrate her first night of Hanukkah! She helped us light the candles, say the blessings, and got to open her first Hanukkah present. She also has her very own stuffed menorah that she helps us put a candle in each night.

Helping sing the blessings


Excited to open presents next!


Opening her first Hanukkah present


Eating the wrapping paper is much more fun!

Pop's Birthday Weekend

On Pop's birthday, Sophia and Mommy went to visit him for lunch at work. Sophia has been having separation anxiety, but as her gift to Pop, she let him feed her! We went to sushi for dinner, but Sophia had to leave early to go to bed.

Sophia at Pop's office


Happy Birthday Pop!


Cousins Cathy and Vicky came in town and met Sophia for the first time. We had a family get together for brunch on Sunday, and got a few pictures of the little cousins together. Ben was so protective of Sophia on the sofa, he made sure to put a hand across her so she didn't fall!

Cousins Allan, Julia, Sophia, and Ben

The Pink Pig

This week, I took Sophia to Lenox mall to ride the Pink Pig for the first time. The Pink Pig is a ride for kids that was started in the 50s in downtown Atlanta. After many years there, and a few venue changes, they revamped it and moved it to Lenox mall. Sophia, Nana, and I bought our tickets and headed over to the tent where the ride was. When it was our turn, Sophia and I sat down and posed for some pictures to remember her first ride. For some reason, babies are not allowed to sit in laps, so Sophia had to sit next to me. I'm not really sure how that is safer, but whatever.

I put Sophia in the seat next to me, and the ride began. Priscilla, the Pink Pig, came on the speakers, and Sophia and I both jumped! I should have known then that this wasn't going to go well. As the loud speaking continued, Sophia and I looked around at the lights, mirrors, and scenes with pigs. We went through a little tunnel, and the crying began! I was really excited as we neared the front that the ride was almost over, but no!, we started to go around again! Once we rounded the corner I picked Sophia up and she calmed down and started looking around and taking everything in. When we were close to the front, I slipped her back in her seat. She really seemed to enjoy it when she was in my lap! Nana used to ride the Pink Pig when she was a kid and when we were done, she had a turn to ride. I have to say it was quite the experience, and I can't wait for next year when Sophia will understand more of what is going on.

Sophia and I in front of the old Pink Pig ride

Buckled in and ready to go!

Posing with Nana before she went for a ride

The front of the Pink Pig

Some more cute pictures

Lately Sophia has been doing really well sitting up on her own "tripoding". She shows no desire to roll over again, but she likes to sit up and stand.  I guess she just wants to get up and go.

"Mom, does Daddy really need this thing?"

"Want STEAK!"

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving Day was a busy day for the Molinari family. We stayed in Atlanta this year, and spent the day with lots of family and friends. Early in the afternoon, we went over to cousin Billy and Julie's house and spent time with cousins and aunts and uncles. Sophia got to see her cousins for a while, and we finally got a picture of her with all 3 of them!

Our family


Sophia with the cousins (Ava, Madelyn, and Levi)


Sophia checking Levi out


Sophia and Aunt Jennifer


Next, we went over to cousin Greg and Laura's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The table was beautifully set, the food was delicious, and the company was great too! The cousins and other kids were so busy playing that Sophia didn't really get to play with them, but she did get to hang out with her friend Evan. When we put both babies on the floor together, Evan rolled over to Sophia and held her hand! Too cute!

The beautiful Thanksgiving table


Sophia in her Thanksgiving bib


Playing with Pop


Sophia and Evan holding hands


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for this year!

5 months old!

Every month, we are amazed at how much Sophia has grown and changed. In her fourth month, Sophia got to celebrate her first Halloween. She, of course, had no idea what was going on, but we loved dressing her up and walking around the neighborhood. She finally started putting herself to sleep for naps in her crib, and started taking some longer naps instead of 30 minutes each time. Earlier in the month, Sophia took her first road trip! She went to Valdosta with mommy and Nana to visit Gran and she did great! She smiled and talked a lot to Gran, and slept most of the way in the car both ways.

This month she started really laughing! Before, we could tickle her to make her laugh, but she now laughs when we do silly things or make funny faces at her. She especially likes it when I pretend to sneeze! In the beginning of the month, she figured out how to put her thumb in her mouth, but would just chew on it when she got it in. Now she really sucks on it which mommy and daddy try to discourage! She started rice cereal later in the month and really seems to enjoy it. She eats it up so fast, we sometimes have to make her more! And finally, on her 5 month birthday, Sophia rolled over....twice! She has yet to repeat it, but we are practicing a lot, and know she will soon be rolling across the floor. She also just started to have stranger anxiety. If anyone besides mommy or daddy hold her, she cries and cries. Hopefully by this time next month we will have our easy going baby back.

Here are a few pictures from the last month. And our first smiling 'month' picture!

5 months old!


Leaving on our first road trip


Sleeping in the car on the way


Nice and clean after her bath


Happy baby!

Ava's Birthday Party

On Sunday, Sophia went to her first birthday party! Her cousin, Ava, was turning 3. They had an amazing party at their house with bouncy houses and a hotdog stand! It was a beautiful day, and Sophia enjoyed being outside. She went in a swing for the first time, and fell asleep about 2 minutes into it! Guess she was pretty tired! Happy Birthday Ava!

Sleeping in the swing


With cousin Julie and Ava the birthday girl

Rice cereal, take 2

Sophia's first time eating rice cereal clearly did not go very well. So the next day we tried again! We put together her high chair so she could recline a little bit to make it easier for her to eat. What a difference that made! She loved the cereal, and we refilled the bowl two times. She started crying in between bites if the spoon wasn't up to her lips, ready to put more food in. Here's a short video of her second time eating solid food.

Mmmmm....delicious???

For the past three nights, Sophia has decided that 3am is party time! Not really a fun party for mommy and daddy! Dr. Julie told us that when Sophia starts waking up hungry, it's probably time to start solid foods. So this afternoon, Sophia got her first taste of rice cereal! We made a small portion and mixed it with a little milk so it would taste better to her. We put on her plastic bib and sat her in her bumbo at the table. Did she like it? Or did she hate it? You be the judge!

Gearing up for the first bite


Here it comes....


I've had a couple of bites. It's not so bad!


Changed my mind. I'm not so sure about this.


ANGER!!!

Happy Halloween!

For Sophia's first Halloween, she dressed up as a ladybug. We had dressed her in her costume several times already, so she was a pro by the time Halloween was here. The week before, I dressed her in her purple Halloween shirt a few times, and at playgroup a few of us brought the babies costumes so we could dress them up and take some pictures.

Sophia can't wait for Halloween!


Lacey, Brady and Sophia at playgroup


On Halloween, we dressed Sophia up and tried to get some pictures. Whenever she sees the camera, she stares at it and stops smiling! But we managed to get one picture of her smiling in her costume. We took her to our next door neighbors house and rang the doorbell to pretend we were trick or treating. Then Sophia's friend Brady and his mommy and daddy came over. We pushed the babies around the neighborhood and watched the other trick or treaters until it started raining. Then we came back and handed out candy to all the big kids that came by. We can't wait for next Halloween when Sophia can really trick or treat with her friends!

Sophia with the pumpkins we picked out at the pumpkin patch


Finally smiling in her costume!


Trick or treat!


Going for a walk in our neighborhood


Posing with the pumpkin