Football Fans

It all began with a simple Internet order. In September, Daddy ordered a set of mini NFLfootball helmets for Jaden and Cody, thinking it would be a fun way to introduce them to his love of football. To say that the boys were interested would be a gross understatement. These boys are now football fanatics! Cody and Jaden quickly memorized all of the NFL team logos on their helmets. They ask Daddy each week which teams are playing against each other, and then they'll line up all their helmets in a face-off position.

Nearly every day, they'll ask if it's a "football day" so that they can watch a portion of the games on TV (or at least check the scores). When the games are over, they'll excitedly run up to their room and place each helmet on a sheet of paper marked with either "WIN" or "LOSE."

Jaden and Cody's favorite teams change almost weekly. Unfortunately, they refuse (at least for now) to continue Daddy's allegiance for the Detroit Lions. Instead, they unabashedly cheer for teams like the Browns or the Bills or the Titans and proudly tell family members and their kindergarten teacher about their current favorite teams.

Cody and Jaden's interest in football doesn't just stop with the sideline cheering. These boys also love to play! Regularly on weeknight evenings, Daddy plays tackle football with his boys in the yard. The match-up is always Jaden and Cody against Daddy. The boys have learned so much about the rules of football as they play. Their games are always so cute to watch! (If it's fair to call football games "cute...") The boys often begin with some sort of huddle to discuss their play.

Daddy has taught them how to call their play (they usually just shout out random words, often trying to distract their opponent) and then to say "hike" before they can move. Lessons about penalties have also been learned here! ;) 

Whether the play includes passing,

...running,

...blocking Daddy,

...or just tackling (These pics are my favorite!!),

these 3 boys always seem to enjoy their workout and their father-son bonding time. Occasionally Mommy and Adley sit nearby on the lawn to watch and cheer. Adley is probably more interested in the play mat or the grass than she is in the game. 

But we think that this little lady makes a pretty cute football fan too!

Every couple weeks, it seems like Jaden and Cody will go on a new playtime kick. Whether it's Legos, coloring, block building, or something completely new, the boys are "all in" on that particular activity. Football is certainly the new favorite. And this obsession, I'm sure, is one that Daddy hopes will last for quite some time! ;)

First Foods

Adley began the adventure of experimenting with solid foods this month. We started her with just basic rice cereal since Jaden and Cody had been successful with that. Adley opened her mouth happily and, although she was quite messy, seemed to enjoy this first food experience.

On food trial day #1, just Mommy and Daddy did the feeding, but Jaden and Cody were amazing encouragers. They loved witnessing the process for Adley and enjoyed hearing stories about their own first solid food days.

 On Adley's second day of trying solid foods, we let her big brothers join in the process. It was quite amusing watching the boys try to get the spoon in Adley's mouth.

I also got a kick out of watching Cody and Jaden's own mouths open and close along with Adley's.

These two big brothers were SO proud to feed their little sister! They offered many words of praise to Adley as she successfully ate again on Day 2.

After the initial few days of rice cereal, we branched out into other varieties of fruit and vegetable purees-- butternut and acorn squash, banana, apple, sweet potato, avocado, and peas. Adley's typical pattern has been to grimace at the first few bites of any food, push the food around with her tongue, but then eventually settles into eating. She still spits out more than she swallows on any given bite, but she's slowly making progress. 

I've taken quite a few pictures of Adley eating so that I can show the boys Adley's reaction to new foods that she tries while they are at school. Jaden and Cody love guessing whether or not Adley will like a certain food and than determining her overall taste based on the photos.

Squash (butternut) -- so-so

(acorn) -- yum!

Sweet Potato -- so-so

Avocado-- no, thank you!

Oatmeal -- double YUM (Look how wide she opens her mouth!)

Adley's favorite so far!

Other top food choices include banana and apple, while pumpkin and peas are only so-so. Avocado has been the only food to be completely rejected. We're enjoying this new phase and are happy that Adley is a decent little eater so far.

6 months old

Every time our friends see Adley, we hear a similar remark-- "Look how big she's getting!" Perhaps that's just what everyone says when they see a baby, but we think it's true as well. Our little six-month old is growing up so much! We love how she interacts with others, smiles easily, and seems very interested in the world around her. We thank God for our happy, pleasant baby!

Here are some current stats about Adley Grace:

PHYSICAL

• 19 lbs, 15 oz
• Very confident sitter; rarely tumbles over
• Likes to practice standing (with help)
• Enjoys trying to drink water from Mommy or Daddy's cup but spills quite a bit
• Often grabs onto her foot while nursing
• Enjoys bouncing in her jumper

• So close to crawling!
• Leans far forward to reach for toys until she's in the crawling position
• Can scoot herself backwards or sideways to different places around the room

SLEEPING HABITS

• Rough naptimes at the start of this month (took a LONG time to rock/bounce to sleep and then would only catnap for 25-30 minutes)
• Still had 3-4 awakenings at nighttime
• Finally did some sleep training and made a LOT of progress! (Naps more regularly generally twice a day and knows how to self-soothe before bedtime and naptime)
• We transitioned Adley to her own bedroom crib rather than the pack n play in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. (This meant that Mommy and Daddy finally had to finish putting up the decor in Adley's bedroom too!)

 

PLAYTIME/OTHER

• Loves playing peek-a-boo, especially with her brothers
• Enjoys standing by the activity table (with help)
• Loves any musical toy and chewing on her indestructible baby books
• Takes baths in the big tub
• People often comment on her "pretty blue eyes" and her alertness
• Spitting up much less-- hooray!
• Likes riding in the front of shopping carts at stores

Next month, we predict that we'll have a baby on the move! It's a joy watching this little girl grow. We love you, dear Adley Grace!