Look who figured out how to crawl

Alma figured out how to crawl! She clearly hasn't mastered it yet, but she's certainly able to get around now.

Alma and the Pumpkin Patch

This weekend Alma and I hooked up with one of my good colleagues at KU to go to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. I've never been anywhere quite like this. It was like a dream come try for kids. Its suppose to resemble a turn of the century farm but its so much more. There are over 200 animals, activities, playground equipment, learning activities etc. I was pretty impressed. They were also hosting a pumpkin patch which you could only access by a horse-drawn hayride. Needless to say we had a blast.

 

 

Alma loved the animals. We got to see a little bit of everything horses, cows,  pigs, goats, a bobcat, a bison, ducks, swans, and more.

I was a bit nervous about this at first but so glad we did it. Alma had a lot of fun. And the draft horses were beautiful.

Amy, Micah, Alma and I right before the hayride.

Micah picked out a perfect size pumpkin just for Alma.

Look at this big girl sitting all by herself with her pumpkin!

What a perfect day.....warm weather, good friends, and lot of fun!

Seven Months Old

Today our baby girl is seven months old. I have uploaded a  video to celebrate Ms. Alma. These pictures are from her six month photo shoot. (Don't worry Nanna and Papa and Grandma/Grandpa Schmidt some of these will be showing up at your houses pretty soon).

Alma and Caleb

We were so lucky to have our friends TJ, Staci, and Caleb come to K.C. to help us pack up all of our stuff and to say one more goodbye before we are off to Hawaii. Alma absolutely loves Caleb. She watches his every move. Staci took some great pictures of Caleb holding “my baby Alma”.

Alma and Her Goopy Eyed Twin

Most of you who have seen Alma know that she has a clogged tear duct in her right eye that makes for a very goopy eye sometimes. Although I think it is getting better, it still gives us some problems. Specifically, when she wakes up from sleeping her eye is often sealed shut. Alma loves to play with a certain doll at Emily's and I am pretty sure its because of the overwhelming likeness.

Guess its time to buy this kiddo her first baby doll : )

Alma at Daycare

We have been so fortunate to find an amazing daycare provider who treats our daughter as part of her family. Alma spends her days hanging out with Emily, her daughter Lita, and another baby named Piper. She obviously has a very small daycare as she is expecting twins! I thought I would share some pictures of a typical day for Ms. Alma when Mommy and Daddy are at work.

And this is just hilarious......this is why we had to buy one for home : )

Where did September go?

I was looking at Alma’s blog today and realized that September came and went with no posting whatsoever from us. Needless to say it’s been a very busy time but that really isn’t a good excuse. Our little one is doing some pretty amazing things and we should be sharing these. First, in the month of September Ms. Alma had the opportunity to spend some very much-needed time with her Aunt Amanda. It is truly amazing to me that Alma seemed to recognize Amanda immediately. Alma does not go to strangers and cries when people try to hold her who she doesn’t know very well. But when Amanda showed up she went right to her as if she remembered Amanda being there her first month of life (not impossible, right?). We were so fortunate to have Amanda with us for about 3 weeks. She is on her way to Ecuador for a longer stay and we are overjoyed we got to see her before we all part separate ways. 

Aunt Amanda and Alma

More play time with Aunt Amanda

 Amanda also had her four legged children with her (Izzy and Magga Dog). Alma has fallen in love with the dogs. She simply lights up (with some squealing of course) when she sees Lili, Izzy or Magga. I love that our little girl is so taken with animals even at such a young age. 

Maga Dog

Isabella 

And of course, the apple of her eye, Lili.

 

Second, in the month of September Alma took her first trip to Hawaii and saw the beach for the first time. We all three went on a house hunting adventure. She was amazing and in spite of the heat and all the travel she was a trooper. 

Alma's favorite part of the trip was that she went without clothes often because it was so hot and that's right folks, no air conditioning in Hawaii.

Scenic drive with Mom and Dad....see how happy she is!

Our new home. Although a stressful trip, we found a beautiful condo.

Third, in the month of September Alma tasted her first solid food. Aunt Amanda prepared some organic apples for our little lady. Unfortunately she was more interested in playing with the tasty puree then eating it. Although with some help from Emily (our daycare provider) she is eating about 1 oz per sitting.  

First taste......

Not as tasty as anticipated....

Much more fun to play with!

 Fourth, Ms. Alma turned 6 months old. Our now 15lb (!) infant continues to amaze us with how verbal she is becoming. She is also holding herself up rather well and with some support can sit up. She has also mastered the exersauser and the Johnny Jump Up (a preferred toy in our house). She also enjoys grabbing and anything she can get her hands on (dangerous or not).

 And here are some pictures just to share: