Avocados.. an improvement

We have moved on from those disgusting yams to avocados.. Georgia was more interested in them and I am happy to report there was no gagging. I think that "feeding herself" was the highlight of the experience for her.

Oh the places they'll go..

My how times has changed, Brian went to the REI sale today and this is what he came home with. He was so excited to have Georgia test it out, from the looks of it they are ready to hit the trails! I think it will be really fun to have this backpack and know we'll get use out of it.. I think I'll even hike!

FOOD! So far, not a big fan.

I have been so excited to give Georgia food, she has been showing interest for a while and I thought she would be so in to it. Today was the day, daddy was home so we got it all set up.. I steamed yams, got out her bib and we were ready to roll. Georgia on the other had was very interested in the whole set up but the actual food was, um, how shall I say less than a hit. Here are a few pics and a video of the first meal experience.

We're ready to go!

Um, what is this?

DISGUSTING!!

What are these people trying to do to me?

She's Famous.. well not really

A few weeks ago Georgia participated in a photo shoot for charity.. Soulumination is a wonderful charity that takes pictures of terminally ill children. Tara Clark was doing mini photo shoots this month with all funds going to support this cause. Today Tara and some others from Soulumination were on a local talk show called New Day NW spreading the word and sharing some of their work. Tara shared some of the images from her May fund raising shoots and little miss Georgia's picture was one of them! Here is the entire segment (about 7 minutes long) Georgia's picture is the last one shown.

http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Soulumination-Celebrates-Kids-Families-Battling-Terminal-Illness-94831939.html

Sunnies

I'll admit, I bought Georgia a pair of sunglasses a while ago purely for my entertainment but as it turns out she likes wearing them. The first pair I bought were too big and kept falling off so I got her a new pair.. UV protection, polarized.. and with rhinestones :) We were out and about all day Saturday and she wore them the whole time.. good for her eyes all while making a fashion statement!

So serious!

Sacked out after a long day

Let's hit the beach!

Girlfriends.. The Next Generation

This afternoon Georgia and I had a few friends over.. one of which was my friend Julie's daughter Nevaeh who is two months older than Georgia. It was so fun to catch up with my fantastic ladies and just as much fun to see the next generation getting along so famously!

Let's hug

So good at sharing toys!

Six Months Old!

I can hardly believe that Georgia is six months old today! I can so vividly remember the excitement of being in the hospital knowing that we would meet our baby six months ago and now life before her is a distant memory. Georgia is a happy girl with a big smile, she's social and always willing to share her opinion. In the last month she has done so much changing and hit several milestones like rolling over and sitting up.. all of these things make Brian and me so proud but most of all we can't get enough of her laugh! She has brought a new kind of love and joy to my life, it's indescribable. Here are her six month stats:

Weight: 17lbs 6oz (78%)

Height 26.5 inches (79%)

My Futures So Bright

Yesterday Georgia took a trip to visit her cousins and ended up having a great time with Blake. As she gets older she is more and more fascinated with other kids. I think Blake is seeing that Georgia can be fun too.. I showed him that Georgia had sunglasses then he got his and the result was too cute .. I couldn't resist a few photos.

We are so cool!

Lets hold hands

We are ready for summer!

New Cousin!!

Today Leslie and Chad welcomed a baby girl, Lauren Jean was born at 4:37pm weighing 7lbs 6oz!! I think most of us, especially my sister was expecting a brother for Blake but we are all so excited that they welcomed a girl. I am so thrilled for my sister and giddy about the fact that we have daughters just under six months apart. Most importantly, everyone is healthy and doing great! Now little Georgia doesn't look so little anymore :)

Waiting to get the show on the road

Mom & daughter

Lauren Jean

Georgia was really taken by her new cousin

Mother's Day

Today was my first official Mother's Day and it was a day filled with love and emotion. I can't put into words how much I love being Georgia's mom - every cliche is true.. it's the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had. Georgia brings endless joy and pride to my life and I feel so blessed that I can call her my daughter. Having a child has brought about so many questions for me, what was I like as a baby, what did my mom do when I didn't want to nap.. how should I or shouldn't I do certain things. My heart aches that my mom isn't here to help me through these questions but most of all that she isn't here to know her beautiful granddaughter that is carrying her name on. I know she is here in spirit and teared up when I saw one single iris blooming in my front yard this morning.. her favorite flower. Happy Mother's Day Grandma Claudia.

With all of that said, we did have a wonderful day.. Brian, Georgia and I drove up to Snoqualmie Falls to see the sights and enjoy the beautiful weather. This evening Brian's parents came over for a BBQ so Kathye could celebrate her first Mother's Day as a grandmother.. or Nana in her case.

Tutu's & Balloons

Recently I received an email from a friend talking about a free photo shoot for charity. Tara Clark is a local photographer (http://www.taraclarkphotography.blogspot.com/ ) who is really talented and generous.. during the month of May she is doing photo shoots around Seattle in exchange for a $25 donation to charity. Soulumination ( http://www.soulumination.org/ ) is a charity where professional photographers volunteer their time to take photos of terminally ill children for free. Last week Georgia and I decided to check it out, we just happened to pick the day where she had tutu's and balloons on hand! Needless to say I am very pleased with the photos I have seen so far and felt great about supporting such a wonderful cause.

Happy Birthday to.. me!

Today turned out to be such a great birthday! This morning I woke up with my two favorite people.. Georgia was actually the first to tell me happy birthday at 1am. I had fresh squeezed OJ and decaf coffee in bed then we were off to the Portage Bay Cafe for breakfast.. yum! This afternoon we took a walk down to Lincoln Park to enjoy the beautiful day. When we got home I had three flower deliveries from my sister, dear friend Debbie and my cousin Krista - a girl ALWAYS loves flowers! This evening we started off with champagne and crab cakes then Brian made steak, salad and bread for dinner.. we enjoyed all of this on a little carpet picnic with Georgia in the living room. The biggest gift of all came from Georgia when she rolled over for the first time.. she even did it once more so daddy could see. She has been working on sitting up all by herself and is getting stronger everyday. We often do a little play time in the evenings where I strip Georgia down and she wiggles all around playing and moving.. tonight she was extra happy and had the giggles. We ended the day with triple chocolate cake, I had too big of a piece but enjoyed every bite! I feel so luck to have such a wonderful family and fabulous friends, so far this year is looking pretty good!

My favorite people

Lincoln Park

YUM!!!

right after Georgia rolled over.. she was very proud of herself

little bunners

This video is a little all over the place but I couldn't hold a steady hand while keeping the little lady laughing...

Hello Daddy!

When Brian is gone on his trips he is always asking for pictures of Georgia.. I'll often get a text from him that just says "picture" I know he misses her so we're always quick to send him a text pic of his favorite little monkey. I was going through my phone and realized we've sent some pretty good pics over the last few months.. it's also fun to see how much Georgia has grown and changed. Here are a bunch of pictures of Georgia saying hello to daddy. Next up is Skype!

Getting ready for Easter

Making a fashion statement in her PJ's

Swaddled for bed

Big yawn!