4 Months

Once again, the 9th is here.  We celebrate 4 months today.

4 months of cuddles
4 months of (more) diapers 
4 months of being a family of 4
4 months of (more) Mommy fatigue
4 months of enjoying one (more) very sweet little girl


"I'm cute?  Yeah, I know!"


"What do I want for my birthday? 
One miiiii-lllllion dollars!" 


Highlights this month: She's rolling whenever she gets the urge.  She's a giggling machine, laughing when she's tickled or when she sees a silly face or hears a silly voice.  She likes to play with her gym and loves her bunny. She is so aware of Braska and just lights up when she gets "kissies" from her sister.  I feel weird not always knowing exactly what she weighs, since we had at least weekly weigh-ins for Braska at this age.  But she is eating well, sleeping well, and she's generally pretty happy.  We get alot of comments about how "good" a baby she is.  She is a very social girl, not a fan of being left alone in a room.  She's happy to express her dislike of my leaving her immediate visual space, but she practically kicks herself silly when I return.  That's a pretty nice little welcome,  I think.  Right now, she's working on her bottom front teeth.  She's drooling and a bit fussier than normal, chewing on her hands alot, as well as anything else around that she can grab.

It's going so fast with this one.  She just DOES things.  There's no working on it or practicing or teaching her how to do things.  She just does it.  I'm still getting used to that.   I think this coming month is going to bring alot of fun.

First pool day of many

Last Sunday was Kinlee's first introduction to the joy of splashing and chillin' in a crystal clear private pool.  Cindy is most generous and wonderful, and she opens her pool to our family many times during the summer.  Accommodations just don't come any nicer, for sure.

Of course, first there was church on Sunday morning.  The girls had their first taste of matching outfits... I'm ridiculous, I know.


Cindy's got a great setting, several actually, for pictures, including a great waterfall and coy pond next to the pool.  So I had to set the girls up there with Daddy for a few pics.  Braska had some from last year here that we loved, so now it's kind of a tradition. 


We do love seeing how much Cousin Xander has grown when we see him.  He passed KiKi up long ago.


Xander has a big head. There's no getting around that fact.  He is a big boy. Not fat. Just big and strong and solid.  Like a football player in baby form.  But when they were sitting next to each other, the difference in their heads kind of cracked us up.


Kinlee got in her suit, paused for a few pics...

Then she got in the pool with Miss Cheryl.


She took time out for a little nap after her swim.


Then she charmed PaPaw for a while. 


He had a great perspective, so we aimed the camera skyward.
 

Hand-me-downs: First swimsuit

Sunday was Kinlee's first chance for swim fashions.  And she, of course, went with Braska's old suit for her first try.  AND the swim hat, too. This may be Kinlee's only time in it. It was none too big.

5/31/09, 3 1/2 months old

Braska wore this one a while,  with the hat of course.  Enjoying the same great perch, Grandma C's lap.

7/22/07, 8 months old. 

Time to buckle up

Kinlee likes her bouncy seat. She's very comfy in it and is generally very happy while playing in it. When she gets tired or wants a change of venue, she kicks, squirms, and arches her back.

Normally, unless we have the seat in the more upright position, she's not buckled in. Just the way it is. But when she starts a'scootin'...


She ends up hanging off the edge or "diaper mooning" the room.

Red Nebraska Photo Shoot

It was a nice day out, little cloudy, and there was a fair bit of natural light coming in.  So we set up a makeshift photo drop and took some shots.  We're not in a place financially to do professional shots at this point, so I'm going to use some of these for her first official solo pics.  Put in your vote as to which one(s) you like best. (Use 1a or 1b for 1-5.)
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Hand-me-downs: Red Nebraska Dress

Back in the day, Grandma C (AKA my mother-in-law) and Miss Karen A happened through the state of Nebraska at a particular university, if I remember correctly, and practically bought out the store of Nebraska-wear. This was one of those purchases, and it was a favorite of mine on Braska. Now it's been passed on, but I just this week remembered it and found it in a bag of things I had thought would be for later in the summer. Nope...not for this chickadee. She's in it now and it's almost too small already! I can't get used to this *growing* thing!

Here's KiKi on 5/26/09, 3 1/2 months old.
(More of this photo shoot to come soon in it's own post...lots of cute happened there.)


And this is Braska, 5/10/07, 5 1/2 months old.


Another shot from 5/26/09 of Kinlee.



This is one of Braska's first professional shoot pics, from 5/24/07, 6 months, 3 days old. (We cheered at how far she held her head up that day!)

This is another one of Braska, from 9/1/07, at almost 9 1/2 months.

Sisters in chairs

Braska sits in her chair to watch her shows and occasionally just because she likes it. We decided to get out the Bumbo for Kinlee, and Braska moved her chair right up by her to sit next to KiKi.

But can someone tell me when Kinlee got to be a little girl and left newborn-ness behind?!?


For the then-and-now element...In the pic above, Kinlee's just shy of 4 months, and she's about 13+ lbs.  Here's Braska's first time in a Bumbo.  6/12/07.  She was just shy of 7 months and was 11 lbs 10 oz. She definitely had more hair though!!