300,000 MILES

So we made it!! I wasn't sure if it was going to be this week or next, but we have been counting down (or up) the miles for the last couple hundred. How many people can say they drove a car when she flipped 300,000?
My dad bought this car in 2004 before my senior year at Messiah, so we would have an extra vehicle and I could have a car at college. I drover her back and forth a lot to see Justin :) Then I took her down to West Chester once a week for two years to get my master's degree. Justin and I drove her to Maine for our honeymoon, he would say he did most of the driving! Justin drove her up to Allentown for about 2 years and now I have started taking her out more since he has a work truck to use. She has died a few times on us, but Justin usually manages to bring her back...and we'll keep her going...maybe hit 400,000?
I don't think Rose will ever drive her, but hopefully she will have a car that she can tell some fun stories about :)

Happy 1/2 Birthday!!

6 MONTHS!! I don't know who should be happier Rose or her mommy and daddy :)

 

 

You are doing so many new things this month...I think the biggest and most exciting is your eating! So far you have had oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, squash, green beans, apples, and peaches...and you just love to eat. You usually do not have much food on your face or bib, but it is really cute when you do. When you see the spoon coming you open really wide and almost attack the spoon.  I have really enjoyed making you food too.

 You are also now sitting unsupported this adds to your gross motor skills of rolling both back to tummy and tummy to back. You also are really studying items you grab and you will try to grab just about anything you see. You love toys with lights and music. You are also expressing your personality as we are learning more of what you like and what does not interest you.

You also LOVE to play peek-a-boo. Here you were popping up over the fence with daddy and you were laughing! We just love your laugh, you get a big smile on your face and the giggles just roll out.

 Your Nanna and Gramma also made you some new accessories...a cute poncho from Nanna...

And some shoes from Gramma, they should really open their own Etsy shop with you as their super cute model. They both have hat patterns to be working on for you since the weather is getting cooler.

And here you are in your first tutu :) I just can't stop kissing you! You are just so cute and sweet, I love you bunches and bunches and so I kiss you a LOT.

This weekend was very busy for you...Saturday Jeremy, Becky, and Brahm came for a visit...Brahm really wanted to see the doggies and was not thrilled with getting his picture taken...his mommy should really get him a puppy!!

Then on Sunday we had a 1/2 Birthday party for you, because well, you are only 6 months once and it was a good excuse for you to get to see lots of people who think you are just the most awesome little girl.

 

 One happy little family

Lack of Sleep =

A) Too Much Coffee

B) Or somebody is Teething

So there is little doubt that eventually Rose will be a coffee drinker, it is just in her Bechtel genes...but since she is only drinking breast milk, I think we can rule out A as the reason for the lack of sleep the last few nights.
Honestly, it's still not really all that bad either. Since about 6 weeks Rose has been sleeping between 10-11 hours at nights with an occasional pat on the bottom to get back to sleep. The last few nights though, have been a different story. She has been waking up 2-4 times a night and needs her paci and more patting. This morning we definitely saw a protrusion on her lower left jaw, so it seems like our Rosebud is getting her first tooth!

YUM again :)

Ahh so an update on the food...Rose is eating and wow are those poos different now!!! We are feeding Rose twice a day, oatmeal (sometimes with banana) in the morning and a veggie in the evening. This week I made squash and pears!

 The yummy foods we got Rose for this week. 

 Roasting squash in the oven, so this was the first time I have ever made squash for anyone!

 Steaming pears (ok and this is the first time I ever steamed anything, I must also say thanks to the hubby for the steam pan)...these turned out really yummy!

 Rose was helping...really she was helping and hungry :)

This was on Saturday, she didn't seem to be so sure of the squash at first, but by Sunday she ate all her squash no mess.

YUM!

So we decided not to wait any longer, at 5 months and 1 weeks Rose is now eating!We started Saturday with some oatmeal cereal mixed with breast milk...earlier that day I also made my first baby food for Rose, apparently they were my favorite as a baby: sweet potatoes....I followed the recipe on: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ and baked the sweet potatoes and then pureed them in my food processor with some breast milk and water.

I then filled 1 ounce ice cube trays and froze them. I ended up only using two of the sweet potatoes and got 50 cubes which are now stored in freezer bags just waiting for Rose. Next weekend I am getting pears and squash to make for Rose. Honestly, it was super easy and I really enjoyed making this food for Rose. Also it tasted pretty yummy!

Ok. so here are some pictures of Rose eating over the weekend...I think she did really well! She was definitely closing her lips around the spoon and moving the food around her mouth...a lot of it also came back out her mouth :-) But I am sure she ate some! We were just going to do the oatmeal cereal, but I tasted that and it was ok...but remember the sweet potatoes were REALLY yummy, so we gave her some of those too...after this though, we are definitely sticking to only one new food every couple days!