WOW, it has been a while!

I can't believe that Chloe is already 14 months. It is true that after you get through the newborn stage, life starts moving much faster. I blinked and all of a sudden my tiny baby has turned into a fast moving toddler, complete with teeth, personality, and legs. We moved to Chapel Hill this summer. Chloe loves it here. Our new house has provided her with a carpeted bedroom that she can play in and not be distracted by noisy feet at night (it's upstairs). It has also given her an open downstairs that she has claimed as her domain. Two night ago Barrett and I installed baby gates to keep her from escaping. Last night I baby proofed the kitchen cabinets since she has taken to pulling everything out.

Chloe stays with two wonderful women during the week. Ms. Gracie keeps her and another little girl Monday-Thursday and Chloe loves it. She gets to play outside and eat really good food. Ms. Gracie is the reason why Chloe has learned so much and become a confident little baby girl. Ms. Ashley comes to our house on Fridays. She and Chloe have a great relationship; even though Ashley only sees her once a week, Chloe knows her and has learned words and actions because of her patience. They play all day!

As you can see from the pictures, Chloe is thoroughly enjoying tailgating. We have a tarp and blanket that we put on the ground under the tent and Chloe walks around and plays and climbs on chairs. She has also been to the Well Walk a few times and loves to watch the football players walk by.

We gave her the first of many bubble baths in our bathtub. She didn't know what to do at first; she just sat there and stared. Barrett came in and started blowing bubbles in the air and she wanted to catch them. She never quite figured out the situation but she eventually found her toys and started licking the bubbles off of them...like a dog. I know, gross.

There is so much more that I could write and many more pics to share but I will try to do better at posting more frequently. Love you all!

Yesterday Chloe's new front facing car seat came in so this morning she got to ride watching Mommy drive to work. She loved it. We played a game of copy cat while Chloe ate her bagel that she more chews on than eats.

Chloe loves to eat. Whether it's squash, potatos, chicken, or crunchies, she is in for a treat anytime. She also loves milk. She will only drink juice at Gracie's house.

Almost 10 months

Can you believe it? Chloe is almost 10 months old. So much has happened just in the last month. Chloe is eating real food, picking puffs and veggies up with her fingers and putting them in her mouth, trying to chew with her two baby teeth. She is also crawling, standing, and trying to walk as you hold her hands. Verbally? Well, let's just say she is never at a loss for words. Whether she is screaming "Dad, Dad" or "Ewwy" or "Ducky," her economy with words is becoming more impressive. Chloe loves to explore. She will go from one room to another just looking around and following us. At bedtime she drinks her bottle with a blanket close to her face and then snuggles in her bed. She is still sleeping up to 12 hours at night and about 2 hours during the day.

Her favorite toys are her rocking horse, Meme (a doll that her Grandma Mary Elizabeth gave her), and a book of animals that you can touch. Chloe loves bath time, especially trying to make the toys squeeze air into her mouth. When we run together at the park, she watches the ducks and sings. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. Next big events? I think she will walk soon and get a couple of more teeth...OH, and continuing to try new foods. Right now she won't eat any baby food but sweet potatoes. She loves milk though! More later!

NEW PICS!

I just noticed that Chloe is all dressed up in these pics. Normally she is a t-shirt and shorts kind of girl but here she is all "gussied" up. We had to go to a wedding for one of Barrett's friends. My mom bought her the hat and it fit perfectly. With my childhood, you have to know that my child would have a hat on at some point. Enjoy the pics! More to come soon!

8 Months

Here she is! Chloe Freeman has arrived at 8 months old! Other than a strange fever that lasted for a few days, Chloe has been a relatively healthy little girl. Right now she snoozes from 8:00 at night until we either wake up or until close to 9:00 am. She then takes a nap for a couple of hours during the day. We are very blessed to have a child that loves to sleep. Chloe is very close to crawling. She can get up on her knees and hands and she kind of scoots but she hasn't quite gotten the hang of moving her knees and hands. Chloe loves to eat bananas and any veggie. She has also mastered holding her bottle on her own. Bathtime is her favorite time and she can already say MAMA and DADA...even though she only directs DADA to Barrett. Chloe smiles and laughs constantly, whether she is being entertained or entertaining others. I can't tell you how much we are enjoying being parents. Chloe has been the sweetest most wonderful baby ever. OH...SHE HAS BABY TEETH! She got her first two teeth at the bottom about two weeks ago and they are precious! It has been so much fun watching her grow and change. Check out the picture at the top of the page. You thought that was Chloe didn't you...nope, that little darling is me. My mom gave me this picture and Barrett and I were stunned. Chloe is my little baby twin. How FUN!

Another post you say?

I had to add this because...she looks like a leprechaun. That little sneaky smile? The ears that poke out just a bit at the top? That redish tint in her faux hawk? Those cheeks? Maybe I'm just really psyched about St. Patty's Day but I think we have a wee baby leppy on our hands. Any thoughts?

It's Video Time!

I thought you might want to see some of her recent activities for yourselves. Enjoy!

6 months old

There is no way that this child is 6 months old already. Before I had a baby, I really thought that six month old babies just cried, ate, slept, and pooped. OH NO. Six month olds are little humans! She sits up on her own, eats fruits and veggies, sings, talks to us (baby talk), repeats noises and sounds, grabs things, scoots on her bellys, rolls over, laughs, gets excited when we laugh at her, tries to get our attention, points at what she wants, puts herself to sleep...the list could go on forever! God is awesome! We are having so much fun being parents. Chloe is a blessing and a wonderful child. Her personality is playful and sweet. She loves to cuddle with Barrett at night and every time he comes in the room she will stare at him until he gives her attention...then she will laugh. Bath time is awesome. She splashes and throws her toys and laughs some more. Time is flying by too quickly. One minute she was just laying there sleeping and the next she is trying to stand and walk on her own. This is awesome!

It's On

You know that you are truly a parent when:

1. the word cereal has nothing to do with Frosted Mini Wheats or Lucky Charms

2. People no longer acknowledge you but acknowledge your child

3. Diapers and toys end up in your work bag

4. You've been thrown up on yet you were not that disgusted

5. You begin eating 8 times a day too yet your cheeks aren't as cute big like the baby's

6. You are NEVER alone

7. Gas is something you say "GOOD JOB" to

8. Any errand becomes an hour long process

9. You make up random songs about objects in your house

10. One of your favorite times of the day is just cuddling and laughing with a tiny human with a goofy grin and a laugh that will make the toughest man melt.

Barrett and I agree that we just can't get enough of our tiny Bug. She is growing every day and soon she will be 6 months old! WOW! Half a year? Really? Time FLIES when you have a tiny one. Chloe can hold a conversation with the best of them...of course most people don't understand her but she loves to talk and sing. She has the sweetest singing voice, very folky. I can see her now barefooted with a guitar in hand on the stage at Merlefest. She loves to eat her feet and just about anything else she can find. We started her on cereal about two weeks ago. I will have to post pics of her first spoon attempt. The second went much better. And while now she is drinking it from a bottle, we are still working on taking the spoon to the next level.

Chloe has definitely mastered the art of sleep. She is teething this week to the extreme even though there are still not teeth. I thought for sure with the pain and with a stuffy nose she would be off at night but to my pleasant surprise, sleep has come out unscathed. She is out in 20 minutes.

Right now she is on the move, not crawling yet but always moving. Whether she is jumping or exploring, she is like her daddy. Unless she just wants to cuddle, she moves. Mary Elizabeth and Barrett taught her how to point out eyes on her toys and people. I came home one day from work and Barrett said "She learned a trick." At first I thought about the dog but realized that it was Chloe. I leave those two alone with a baby and she does magic. What can I say?

We have our next doctor's appointment on her 6th month birthday so we will make sure to update you all then. MUCH LOVE!!!!

5 Months of Good Times!

Has it really been five months? It is amazing how quickly time goes by when you have a little one around. Over Christmas break I started on Chloe's scrapbook and was astonished with how much she has changed since the day she entered our lives. She is learning to sit up on her own and is making new noises that sound more and more like words. On Christmas day her little gums started getting ready for the appearence of teeth so for the second week of break, we were fighting the evil teething fairy. We haven't seen one of the white treasures yet but it isn't too far away. With teething has come the inability to sleep so Barrett surprised us with a Glider for the nursery...quite possibly one of the greatest inventions ever. I felt like goldilocks switching out every chair in the house to help get our little Bug asleep but Daddy brought us one that was just right. Bless him.

Chloe is in the awkward clothing stage where 6 months is too big and 3 months is too small so everything looks funny on her. She is so cute that she can pull it off. I am kind of in that stage too though...pre pregnancy is still a little too small and pregnancy is HUGE...why can't I be as cute as Chloe?

Chloe now has full function of her hands and grabs everything. Nothing is safe from her grasp. She also leans to grab something she really wants, especially phones and remotes. OH NO TECHNOLOGY IS TAKING OVER MY BABY! Just kidding; she likes the colors and lights. She rolls over with ease now, tries to sit up on her own, tries to hold her bottle by herself, chews and sucks on everything, holds her hands and feet together, and plays with her hair and rubs her eyes when she is sleepy. Chloe also refuses to lay down or sit if there is an option to stand and jump around. She is a mover like her daddy and a sleeper like me. The best of both worlds.

Well, that was a lot of information to say that Chloe is happy and healthy and we are enjoying everything minute of watching our little miracle. Thank you all for your prayers! Much love!