It is hard to believe, but it has been more than a month since the 4th of July. Heck, we are almost halfway through August. Time is flying by and shows no sign of slowing down. So it is definitely time for us to spend a few moments talking about some of our activities from last month. It all started with a great day in downtown Lexington when we watched the 4th of July parade with the Johnsons.
Seth and Jessica certainly come prepared, as the picture above shows. Here we see Callie, Vivie Ann, and Mason all riding in style on our way to the parade.
This year it was obvious that Callie not only enjoyed the parade, but also got really excited for each float or group as they made their way down the street. We didn't have the heart to tell her that this wasn't the most exciting parade in the world, because even the random politician in a convertible received a squeal of delight. We better keep going to parades to build her tolerance before we hit the mother of all parades - the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Based on our current rotation, that should be November 2012 so we have some time.
Every year at Easter we take a picture of Callie in her bunny ears to mark her half-birthday. It is only fitting then, that we start a similar tradition for Reese. The only holiday that makes sense is the 4th of July. So each year we plan to dress Reese up as Uncle Sam.
The first year was definitely a success. She's not old enough to have the beard yet, but that will come in time.
We are happy to report that July marked a big turning point for Reese when it came to finally accepting solid foods. To be honest, we need to thank her teacher at daycare, Miss Janet, who pushed through the pain and many tears to get Reese to understand that solid food is a good thing. It makes a world of difference to be able to feed Reese her dinner without feeling it's a wrestling match that you are losing. And at this point Reese's menu contains sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, spinach, acorn squash, and apples. We are hoping to expand the options starting next week.
A year and a half after she first entered our world, Bitty Baby remains a big hit with Callie. In fact, last Christmas Callie received several additional outfits for Bitty Baby, although she still tends to spend most of her time naked. That's Bitty Baby, not Callie, by the way. However, Callie enjoys every opportunity she gets to have her and Bitty Baby wear their matching dresses. So far we have managed to have Bitty Baby dress for, but not officially attend, Sunday church services or other formal occasions.
July witnessed a significant breakthrough for our evening routine. Bathtime had often become a struggle with Callie, who had to be persuaded at great length to take one. But now that Reese is in the tub with her, we barely turn the water on before Callie has hopped in and is ready to go. It is awesome. And they both seem to enjoy every second they get to spend in the tub together, splashing around and having fun. Hopefully it will only get better as they get older.
Words cannot truly introduce this video. We must first say that we have no idea how Callie came up with the main subject of her song. It came out of nowhere. However, the rest of the routine is not abnormal these days. Callie loves dressing up in her princess dress and dancing. She dances to anything and everything, showing a remarkable diversity of styles. Take a look.
Since Callie's interests have only grown this year, we have decided to sign her up for an official dance class. She will be in the same class as Vivie Ann, which will be extremely helpful since Callie still has to overcome her shyness at times. We hope that by the time the big recital comes next year that she is as comfortable in front of a lot of people as she is with us at home.
Reese is making all sorts of progress these days, and in July she was sitting up by herself and showing the first signs of wanting to crawl. In fact, when Sarah left for four days for a weekend with friends, Reese fast forwarded her development and not only began crawling but also pulled herself up to a standing position using the coffee table for support.
On top of all of that, she decided to pop out two teeth as well. You can tell from the look in her eye in the picture above, she intends to make our lives very interesting. And yes, if you have been keeping track, she continues to look a lot like her big sister did at this age. It's quite impressive.
As this first picture in a three part series shows, Reese has a little attitude. She is ready with a big smile when she wakes you up at 5am, and there is definitely a bit of sass in her. She is very determined, and unlike Callie has already indicated the desire to possibly climb out of the crib. We have a feeling that we will need to keep a closer eye on this little bugger.
One of Reese's favorite pastimes lately has been sticking her tongue out, perhaps as a means of communication. Who knows what is going through her mind when she does it, but in any case it is fun to interact with her. She loves to laugh, and more and more is becoming entertained by her surroundings. This is especially true when it comes to Callie. Reese loves to watch Callie, and Callie loves to find ways to make Reese laugh. We are very lucky and can only hope it continues as they grow older. And yes, we know we say this every post. But maybe if we keep saying it we can make it happen.
This final picture is a demonstration of Reese's alter ego, someone John and Callie have labeled, "Grabby McGraberson." John is lucky enough to get to spend a couple of hours with the girls every morning, and during this time Reese not only gets her morning bottle, but John, Reese, and Callie get some good play time together. Out of this morning fun has come numerous alter egos for Reese, including "Stinks McGee" and "Sneezer McSneezerson". Who knew we had such strong Scottish blood? In any case, Reese likes to grab everything within reach, and her grabbing fixation is enhanced whenever she gets sleepy. Apparently she has decided that grabbing her parents necks or other reachable locations is soothing. That's fun.
So that covers most of July. But there is more to come. As the picture of the girls sleeping in the Vegas airport indicated, we also made a trip to California. Stay tuned.
Reese was particularly active this month, as you can see in this picture. She wants to spend as much time as possible standing up. In fact she pulls up and cruises around the coffee table every chance she gets. Although she has been crawling for about a month, she has become extremely efficient in her movements, even though her crawl is a bit unorthodox. Reese continues to be a very cheerful little soul, and this picture captures some of the spunk she brings to our family. It is also important to note that this month she has not only learned how to clap but has also begun to make the appropriate sign for milk with her hands. And as we speak her third and fourth teeth are making an appearance.
Callie has had her own special developments in September. She has started attending a ballet and tap dance class once a week and it is clear that she really enjoys it. It helps that one of her classmates is her good friend Vivie Ann. In this picture you can see Callie with Vivie Ann and another classmate Maya as they get ready to head into their first lesson of the session. It has become a great part of the week. We are trying not to get overwhelmed by whole process, especially since Callie seems to enjoy it. While we are a long way from being cast on a reality show about gung ho dance moms, we were all practicing our leaps the other night in the living room while Callie gave us pointers. The things you do for your kids.
