I love getting out in the fresh air and having fun. Last weekend Mommy and Daddy and I went to the local playground so I could play on the swings.



I'll tell you what, I'm a swingin' girl! I love these things! We went up and down and up and down and you'd think it would get boring but NO! So much fun!

Here I am with my inquisitive face on.. I wish I could remember what I was staring at so hard!
Still, I rock that hat, don't I? Mom calls it my Old Guy Golfing Hat, she says you should get a free bowl of soup with that hat but that it looks good on me. She's silly!

And finally, here are some great videos of me starting to figure out this whole cruising thing without needing furniture. Just me and Daddy playing around.



And another one:

Check it out, another fantastic grandparent visit! This time it was Grammy who came to visit. Sometimes she takes her Fridays off and comes up to see me, we have so much fun! On this trip we played and laughed and she sang to me and even took me to the grocery store, I love going there, so many colors!

See how Grammy always looks interested in everything I have to say? That's because she knows how very smart I am and how many important things I have to say.

She even tickles me with my toy lion. She made it go "GRRRR!" and then it tickled my belly! She's so silly.



And when we're done playing I can just curl up on her lap and she gives me kisses. Grandparent kisses are pretty special. Thanks for coming to visit, Grammy, come back soon!

Next time? Pictures from when I went to visit Grandpa down in Virginia and he let me get in his pool.

Hangin' with the Grandparents

 

Remember how I said I'd seen a whole bunch of grandparents? This was the most recent visit, Grandpa V and Grandma Mary came down from Ohio just to hang out with me! Daddy was off with Uncle Joe on a road trip and Mommy was finishing up work at her old job and while they were away I got to play all day with grandparents, they're the best playmates ever.

And I'm glad they got to see how well I eat and how far I'm moving beyond baby food. Here's a shot where you can see Grandma Mary feeding me the same stuff she's having for dinner. Mmm... chicken, wild rice, spinach, I loved it all!

Here's another one of the two of us, she was holding me and letting me explore around the farm, we have so much fun!

And here's one of me and Grandpa, I don't have him wrapped around my little finger at all, do I? Well, ok, maybe just a little bit!

I get to see them again in just a couple of weeks and I can't wait. Plus I get to meet lots of new relatives, too!

Chloe the Artiste

Did you guys miss me? You know you did!

There's been big doin's around here. Mommy got a new job, I got new teeth, and Daddy got to sleep in a little now that summer is here. I've gotten to see tons of grandparents and aunts and uncles. It's a big season around here and I'm a lucky baby.

The other fun stuff happening is that I'm moving on to bigger and better foods! My favorites lately are sharp cheese, pickles, chicken, and mmmmmm, peaches. Here I am having some of my peaches with oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, that's my favorite breakfast. Mommy says it's less like a meal and more like performance art. I don't feel the need to explain my art to her.

See how I can manage to get it everywhere and STILL look cute?

Also notice how I'm rockin' that black onesie? It says "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night and Potty Every Day" and it was a present from Aunt Emily.

In this you'll note that I've managed to get it into my eyebrows. That takes real skill, people. Real. Skill. Not everyone can eat yogurt and get it in his eyebrows, I'm a pro. Don't try this at home.

See them? See them!? MY TEETH! I have three! You'll have to be very nice and put your finger in my mouth to feel the top one. Go ahead, I don't bite. Would this sweet innocent face bite?

Yeah, Daddy doesn't believe me, either.

Guess who came to visit? Uncle Greg! We rolled around on the floor, he made me fly like an airplane, he even let me crawl all over his lap and pull on his lip. He's funny and he made me laugh pretty hard. I know he's super busy right now because of his job and I'm hoping we get to see each other again soon.

Here we are saying hi to Mommy and the camera after an exhausting round of Airplane and Bench Press Chloe. It's tough being me, I tell ya.

See my uncle Greg? He's really tall but he bends over so that I can get a good look at him and he can hear me babble. What can I say, I really look up to him. (ha ha!) Come see us soon, Uncle Greg!

I had so much fun talking about the time with Grandma and Grandpa Vandevander in that last entry I thought I'd do it again. These pictures are from the last time they came to visit me. I was so lucky to have them visit me that weekend because on that Friday I caught my first cold. I was just miserable but they gave me such TLC.

Here I am making funny faces at the camera. Mom says I'm a little bit of a ham. What's that mean??


I got to rolling around on the floor and even practiced standing up. Here I am wearing a nice warm fuzzy outfit that Daddy's cousin David and his wife Theresa sent me. It's so comfy and cozy! The perfect outfit to curl up in when you're feeling under the weather.

Grandma and I curled up in the rocker to read stories and get some good quality snuggles in. I'm not really a cuddly snuggly baby most of the time, I've got too many places to go, but when I'm sick I love my hugs and Grandma hugs are awesome.

I get to see Grandma and Grandpa V again in a few weeks and I can't wait!

Hey everyone! I tell you what, it's hard work being me lately. I'm so busy getting into everything, pulling up to look around, helping Daddy do the dishes, helping Mommy take pictures, you name it! I'm positively worn out. I need a nap just thinking about it.

Speaking of which, here's the kind of nap I love best:



Back in February I went to visit Grandpa and Grandma V at their house. I played the organ, rolled around on the floor, sang songs and read nursery rhymes, and even went for a walk in the neighborhood. We had so much fun playing and hanging out that I just tuckered myself out. Lucky for me Grandpa V got worn out about the same time I did so we took a long nap together.

Later on Mommy and Aunt Gen came to get me and we went on a drive together to Pittsburgh. I love Aunt Gen, she joins me in understanding the importance of a seriously cool hat.

Did you guys have a good weekend? I had a great weekend. Sunday was my swimming lesson and I laughed almost the whole time! I went underwater and didn't fuss at all and I got to practice using my arms to scoop towards a toy. Let's be honest here, I made Mommy scoop, I just giggled and tried to chew on the toy.

The big day this weekend was Saturday! I went down for my morning nap just like normal but when I woke up we were in a park. And there were guys in armor! Mommy and Daddy are part of a historical reenactment group and it was time for one of their weekend events. I even got my own costume! Mommy made me a Viking dress like hers but in opposite colors. I got felted wool slippers that are super soft and comfy and a head-scarf to complete the look. And it didn't stop me from crawling around at all. I think I like this.

Here is a picture of me meeting my first dog. He let me pet him and everything. I got to meet a bigger dog later, a St. Bernard. She was the same age as me, Dad said, but I'm not sure how that's possible since she was much bigger! I wasn't scared though, I got to pet her too!

Here's a good shot of me in my dress. I think I look quite fetching. And you can see my little shoes too! She picked me up and we walked around the field looking at the fighters and the other people in their costumes, I got to crawl around and play with my toys and with Daddy's new scabbard, and when I got tired she put me in the sling and I napped for a whole hour. This being cute is tiring!

The cuteness never ends around here! Mommy particularly likes this shot of me in my head wrap and dress. That's our friend Ani holding me, she was nice and fed me peaches and carrots. I'm giving Mommy my best serious portrait face but you can see the smile breaking out around the edges!

Wooo! It's swimmin' time!

Last week I started swimming lessons with Mommy. We had such a good time. We sang songs and I jumped off the side of the pool (Ok, Mommy lifted me up and splashed me into the water, but I'll be jumping on my own soon!) and I even practiced kicking. At first I thought it was just a big bathtub but this is so much cooler. There are other babies and I can really splash around and I even go under water and come back up. I was a total pro, didn't cry or anything.

By the end of the class I was laughing and giggling. I wasn't a big fan of the shower we took afterwards, but I'll get used to it. We had so much fun and I can't wait to go back. I'm putting up these pictures of my new swimsuit so you can see how cool I look at the pool. I love the flowers and swirly bits, but does this swim diaper make my butt look big?

Everyone? This is Daddy. You can tell he's my daddy because no one else would let me hook my fingers into his lip and pull like this. Sometimes I do it to his nose, too. Daddy has lots of patience.

Sunday was Dr. Seuss's birthday and Daddy and Mommy and I went to the mall for Read Across America. I saw lots of Cats in the Hat and Daddy got me a book from the table of books they were giving away. He says it's a little above my current reading level but that means I have lots of books to look forward to! Daddy reads to me every night, sometimes Mommy reads a book, too. I love reading and Mommy says soon I can even have my own bookcase. It might even have my name on it!

Mommy got a new camera. Everyone beware! These are some of the early pictures she took with it and you can see she's playing around with the settings.

Some other things we're up to: I've got some new foods! I like apples, but only when they're mixed with oatmeal. I like peas and carrots, but not together yet. I even like prunes, but I have to be really hungry for them. Tomorrow I get to try sweet potatoes. Mommy's been making lots of food for me and I can't wait. There's squash and beans and broccoli and avocados and mangoes and she says even papaya someday! I'm up to two meals a day and my appetite is getting bigger. Last night I at two whole ounces of apples mixed with almost a quarter cup of oatmeal. Yum!

I'm on the move folks! First I started getting up on my knees like this:

Then I started wiggling and rocking side to side like this:

Then I started reaching out and turning to look at things like this:

And now? Now I'm like this:

That's right, just a blur! Batten down the hatches people, Chloe can crawl.

Six months old!! Check me out! These pictures are little old but I wanted to make sure my adoring public could see them. Plus? You can see the cool shoes Mom made me and my favorite soft fuzzy blue shirt. I wasn't sitting up on my own yet, but I'm getting really good at sitting in a chair.

And here's another one because.. well.. sometimes it's not all sitting up straight and behaving? Sometimes it's just lounging around chewing on the binkie with my old pal the bunny.

Mommy's pretty proud of being able to catch me doing this:

I didn't pull myself up, can't do that yet, but I like standing and holding on to the chair so I can see the cows. Of course, I can only do it for about a second but hey, it's better than not getting to see the cows at all!