flower baby

Last weekend we were in Wisconsin for Joe's sister's wedding (congrats Katie & Rob!!) and Adelaide had the privilege of being the flower baby. She carried her flowers (silk, in case she ate them!) through the entire ceremony, "escorted" by her godfather Danny. I have to say, she was just adorable (and thankfully very quiet).

It was also her first chance to meet lots of her aunts and uncles - they were all really excited to see her. For Adelaide, the new environment and all the new people were pretty overwhelming, and she wasn't exactly on her best behavior ... but over time we're sure she'll get comfortable there and soon enough she will love visiting her cheese-head family :)

my little pumpkin

Although she's been increasingly wary of new people, Adelaide is all the more expressive and outgoing at home. She's learning to communicate and to reciprocate affection. She kisses us when she's happy, and crawls over to pull my pant leg when she wants to be lifted up. If I've left her in her room too long, she'll come scooting around the corner, looking for me, and then raise her hand in the air with a smile, as if she's saying "hey! I found you". She makes it clear how much she loves us - not just through smiles and laughs but now with gestures too. She's also figuring out that she can control the things we offer her - she'll gesture towards her water glass when she's thirsty or push at my hand when I give her strange food. She may not use sentences but she surely does converse!

first game

Adelaide is learning about 'object permanence' - and here she is working hard at her favorite task: taking things OUT. She has several bowls, baskets, boxes and she loves to take anything out of them. She will sit and take her rags or blocks or small toys piece by piece out of a bowl, then she yells when it's empty so that we fill it up again. Joe hopes that one day she is as diligent about putting things back IN (so that I don't have to clean up after both of them!!). But for now, it's great watching her discover the difference between full and empty.

mobility

Adelaide turned 7 months this week, and I have a confession to make. She has been crawling for nearly a month, but I've been in denial! To be honest, I was hoping she'd be stationary for a bit longer! When she first started crawling, I would pick her up quickly so that she wouldn't practice ... we didn't have the house ready ... but now we are all "baby-proofed," and it's pretty fun watching her tear across the floor in pursuit of a something new to explore. She is so excited with her new ability to move around that she's actually easier to watch because she entertains herself so well.