TGIF!

Our sweet Skyler is celebrating her 37th week today and as you can see below, she is quite excited that it's Friday! She's such a pro at scaling the furniture and walking along it! I should have known she was going to be an active little girl when I figured out that she shares the same birthday (just a different year) of Mount Everest being reached by humans for the first time and the first running of the Indianapolis 500!!

Skyler can be found standing up in her crib, singing her morning tunes, as she waits for Daddy or I to help her begin the day. She is still the friendly, flirty baby and continues to be comfortable around people other than her family.

We wish you all a lovely day and hope you enjoy a few more morning shots of our precious beauty!

Super Bowl Skyler

Little Skyler experienced her first Super Bowl Party last night. Colts vs Saints. Show Down #44! Daddy and I went to Bob & Linda Piney's Party and had a fabulous time. We go each year and always walk away with a belly full of amazing food and a big smile. This year was no different. Although my beloved reigning champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers were not playing, I still had to wear my Big Ben jersey as I rooted for the Saints.

Thought I would share another new talent Skyler has developed......picking up food and placing it in her mouth, successfully! She has taken to a strong liking to Gerber's Graduates Puffs. They are small grains with real fruit and have become a wonderful first step to independent eating. We've purchased all seven delicious flavors for her to enjoy.

Graduate Puffs

Skyler eating the healthy Puff treats all by herself.

Fun With Food

Happy Friday to my special family & wonderful friends. Skyler and I had another fun week and even spent some time in the kitchen together. I received a baby food grinder and thought today would be a great day to make her own food. So, we started by cooking the carrots and green beans.

Then we placed the cooked veggies into the baby food grinder and off we went. Turning the handle until the food became all mushy.

The results were gobbled up in minutes! Skyler is not a fussy eater, so I think I'll try beets tomorrow. Daddy & Auntie Kevie are no beet lovers.....BUT Uncle Charles & Auntie Cheryl grow and can their own, so us "Greens" certainly love 'em. lol....

Her opened mouth welcomed the fresh veggies. In fact many times before I could even scoop it out of her bowl.

We hope you all have a great weekend. Miss Skyler is already enjoying hers!

Sharing

Defining true friendship is like trying to bottle up sunshine. We know it's there, we feel it's warmth, yet we can not hold it. All we can do is embrace the feeling and enjoy the comfort that it brings us.

One week ago today, Skyler and I went to visit a dear friend who I met many years ago through Kiwanis. Our special friendship was strengthened during the Lakeland High School Football season. You all know her as Miss Helen and have seen her multiple times on my blog. She brings much joy to Skyler's life and keeps in contact with us weekly. Thank you, Miss Helen, for sharing a friendship with us! The love you show my daughter touches my heart deeply.

Before leaving, Helen gave Skyler a toy to help develop her hand/eye coordination and thought process. She has been enjoying it ever since I brought it home.

Skyler and her new toy from Miss Helen.

Speaking of sharing, Skyler is at that stage were she'll remove a toy from her mouth and try to place it on your lips. Within a few seconds, she'll take it back to her lips and start the process all over again! It is just too, too sweet.

Pull Up

Tuesday came with a fun visit from Papa. Skyler is always happy to see him and this time was no different. Papa always makes her laugh, so her outfit from Auntie Nicola and Uncle Bogie fit perfectly! Her shirt reads, "A Giggle makes me Wiggle".

Earlier that morning, Skyler had her usual run around the dining room with Laney.

Now, for some fresh and exciting news..........Skyler is pulling herself up! Can you believe it! Perhaps walking is just around the corner. I was able to snap these pictures of our clever little girl.

Here she is trying it on the stove.....a bit slippery, but definitely an A for effort and determination!

Her balance is very good and her little legs are quite strong. In fact, she has no trouble standing all by herself behind her airplane. For the last few weeks, Skyler has utilized her thumb and forefinger to pick up objects, so everything from food to toys is now easier for her. How I remember the days when she use to shove her whole hand to smear food into her mouth. She has come a long way.

I hope you all enjoy following her development path. I like using enticing toys to set up situations for her to be successful. When Skyler does things for herself, I feel it creates a positive self concept and a happy attitude. And, we all know that she is a very happy baby!

Slumber Party!

Skyler experienced her very first slumber party this past weekend. We drove to Merritt Island and spent the entire weekend with Auntie Kevie. Just us 3 girls, having a blast. Daddy and Uncle Larry were away, so it was a perfect opportunity for an all girl weekend!

Once we arrived, it was play time at full speed, but yet we still found time to shop! Skyler usually gets in two naps a day, averaging about 2 1/2 to 3 hours a piece. During her visit, she napped for a total of 40 minutes! This little girl could not get enough of Auntie Kevie. Check them out (below) in action. This actually went on for hours and I think she wore Auntie Kevie out! lol.....

As I've mentioned in past blogs, Skyler loves mirrors and gets so excited when she sees herself. While exploring, she quickly found one in the foyer. This amused her for quite some time!

In between all this fun, she actually took a break to eat. She definitely said NO to naps but YES to food!

Just like her Cousin Nikki, our little explorer enjoys magazines! She was determined to pull out every single one so she could read all about travel, cooking and wine! Here she is in rare form.....

After a full day of shopping at the mall and playing all kinds of fun games, Skyler finally passed out at 9PM.

Skyler beat the sunrise and got started right away on her Sunday. After a warm bottle, she snuggled with Auntie Kevie as we watched the news and drank coffee.

It was back to play time and of course those darn magazines! We had such a wonderful visit and have already made arrangements for another gathering in less then 4 weeks! Thank you Auntie Kevie for a memorable weekend. It was a great way to start Skyler's 8 month celebration.

Funny how she tore out the ad regarding diamonds. I think she's sending Daddy a message!