Here's the Diehl

Only Julia can do it!

Julia is get a bit more adventurous with her hair styles. She's branching out into headbands. Well, she puts it on in the morning, eats breakfast, and then leaves it at home because she doesn't like it anymore. I'm sure it takes getting used to. I still don't make it through a whole day with a headband on. Hopefully this summer she will learn to love the ponytail.

Six months is: • one lower little bitty tooth, after • one long month of sleepless nights (which still continues!) • lots of cute little babbly noises • everything in the mouth (including feet) • new foods...mango is her favorite • a peculiar bald patch on the back of her head, covered by long hair • hair clips! julia was nice enough to offer some hand-me-downs • sitting up. and then toppling over • holding faces. when you hold her, you'll understand this one.

Julia is right on trend.  Sporting a chocolate mustache. 

Every once in a while, I get to do something really fun at work. For my boss, Michelle, we organized a tortoise feeding for her birthday. The aldabra tortoises live in the Reptile house and are about 100 years old. They are enormous and gentle giants. We got to feed them some romaine lettuce. Sometimes little perks at work make all the difference. 

Saturday mornings have always been for cartoons. I remember the Smurfs and Snorks and Gummy Bears. But I never got to watch cartoons on mommy's bed. Saturdays in the Diehl house mean Julia wakes up and comes running into our bed to watch a cartoon. Schuyler likes to hang out too. She mainly likes to watch her big sister. But they are a fun pair.

I love this time of year. Trees start blooming. The sun makes chilly running days a bit warmer. And stroller jogs keep the babe snuggly and sleepy. 

It's funny when you download photos from the camera and there are some there that you KNOW you didn't take. I have to say, Julia is quite a photographer. And quite sneaky. I'm not sure when she borrowed the camera and took these photos, but she did it entirely on her own.  Think I can train her to cook dinner?

For the past week and a half, the entire house has been waking to sounds similar to this coming from that little Schuyler body. We've tried feeding the kid more. We've tried putting her to bed earlier and later and with less blanket and more music. I guess she's just at that age when she enjoys being a night owl. Hopefully it won't last long. Luckily, Schuyler is super cute and very happy when we go in to see her. She hugs so tight and tries to eat your face. It's very comforting...except that her talons are super sharp and she doesn't sit still long enough to make it easy to cut them. As I keep hearing, this too shall pass. And I'm sure we'll miss our midnight rendezvous adventures and snuggle sessions. But, truly, we just want a few hours of quiet sleep. Schuyler, if you can read this, there is lots of fun to have in the daylight hours too!

Julia and I spent some quality time together over the weekend. SHe's really been noticing how much attention Schuyler gets and has been having a hard time. So, I decided it was a good idea to go out just the two of us. It was a gorgeous day, so we rode our bike all the way to Cheesetique for lunch. It is probably about a half mile down the road and Jules road the whole way. She was a trooper. Then she got to fill her belly with lemonade and macaroni. When the check came, we got a little bowl of chocolate. A great way to finish off lunch. We walked all the way home and hit the toy store on the way...or a new baby. Something that we definitely needed? But Julia had such a good time and it was so fun spending some alone time with her.

If only one could start their infant on rocky road ice cream, I'm convinced it would make life just a little sweeter. Alas, you have to start with vegetables and fruits. Which is different than previously...it used to be boring cereal for a while. Now babies get to go straight to purees. Schuyler is taking the new challenge like a champ. It is a full body eating experience, and for some reason, she finds it easier to swallow any foods while her thumb is in her mouth. But that's ok. As many know, she has a particularly sensitive digestive system. So, this has been a big change for her. She's taking it like a champ and finding pure joy in applesauce and avocados.