Popsicles

We introduced Jenna to popsicles a couple of weeks ago, and now she eats a whole one by herself! It probably originally felt good on her teething gums, but now I think she just likes the flavor. Smart girl! She'll even ask for one by name ("cockickle") and especially likes to eat it outside, although it's harder for her to finish it with the summer heat. Yesterday we enjoyed them in the cool, air-conditioned house! Enjoy the pictures!

Snoopy

Well, we made it through last week, but it was rough! Jenna cut her last 3 canine teeth, so she was not a happy camper. She woke up screaming several times during several nights, and just could not be soothed. She used to fight us when we tried to apply tooth numbing gel; however, last week, she would look for it and then open her mouth for us to put it on her. She knew it meant relief! How pitiful!

She and Snoopy really bonded though, as we previously posted. He's certainly not as white and clean as he used to be! Here are some cute pictures of them cuddling while she was asleep. Isn't she getting so big?

Girly Girl

For several months, Jenna has enjoyed it when she gets to play with Mommy's makeup while I'm getting ready. She likes scraping her fingernail in my eye shadow then rubbing it on her forehead. Occasionally, she will "help" me put on makeup by putting eye shadow on my nose or lips. I tried to capture her fun this evening.

First, I'll put on my powder with this brush.

Hmm, what color should I wear today?

Next, I'll comb my hair.

It seems like I'm forgetting something...

Jenna's Best Buds

Jenna has become quite attached to her stuffed animal friends recently. Her favorites include Elmo (of course), Floppy the Bunny (who Randy picked out for her before we even knew she'd be a girl), Baby Bunny, Snoopy, and a soft cuddly teddy bear from her Uncle Aaron. They all sleep with her in the crib at night, and she enjoys kissing and hugging them when she wakes up in the morning. Tonight, as she was going to bed, I handed her one after the other until they were in a group hug. She thought that was pretty funny--here's a picture of it:

Earlier this evening, Jenna was having a hard time dealing with being told that she would have to put down Snoopy and Baby Bunny in order to eat her dinner. So, Randy got creative. He went to get a bib for Snoopy to wear and poured him a bowl of cereal. Then he set him in the chair and told Jenna that they were going to eat at the same time. She seemed to think about it for a second and soon agreed to it. She thought that was pretty funny too, as you can see in the first picture below. In the second picture, she allowed Baby Bunny to go eat with Snoopy so all three of them could eat at the same time. How cute!

ABCs

Here is a video we took last week to show how Jenna is learning her ABCs. She amazes us with how much she already knows! What a cutie she is!

Jenna's Latest Developments

Jenna is growing so quickly! This week, she started speaking in the cadence of sentences. Before, she'd say a word here or there, but now she likes to say a sentence at a time, most of which we can't understand, pausing occasionally and at the end of her "sentence." She's also become quite the climber--she now is tall enough to climb up on my desk chair and can boost herself up on our bed too. She always looks so proud of herself when she makes it to her destination.

This weekend, she also enjoyed sorting through and organizing my rubber bands, rearranging my cabinets, and, of course, climbing some more.


Here are some pictures of Jenna and Daddy playing. She loves jumping, flying, etc!

Playing in the Rain

Just like Daddy did when he was little, Jenna experienced playing in the Louisiana rain last week. In the middle of a hot and humid day, an afternoon thunderstorm brought some welcome relief. Jenna was started out cautiously touching the rain, but as you can tell from the progression of pictures, she ended up completely wet as she got more comfortable playing in it.

Cautiously feeling the raindrops.

She must have thought her pacifier needed rinsing off.

Inching out into the garden.

Walking barefoot through the rocky garden...
she's come a long way since she wouldn't walk on grass a few months ago!

All wet and cooled off.

Baton Rouge Zoo

We visited the Baton Rouge Zoo twice while in Louisiana--one of the perks of having a zoo membership in Knoxville is being able to visit other zoos for free or discounted rates. So we didn't get to finish seeing everything the first day, so we just went back. It was naturally very hot and humid in Baton Rouge, so we could only take limited exposure to the hot weather! Here are some pictures from our visits.

Taking in the sites of the zoo.
She was so excited!

Jenna refused to wear a hat
until she saw Daddy wear one;
then she wanted to put hers on.
What a Daddy's Girl!

Jenna loves trains--she can hear them from
a mile away to which she says "Choo Choo."
We thought a train ride would cool us off and
that she'd really enjoy it. It did cool us off,
but she immediately fell asleep. I don't even
think she knows we rode it!

Jenna really enjoyed seeing the giraffes
up close and personal.

Watching the otters swim by.

Vacation Pictures

Last week, we took a vacation to Florida then to visit family in Louisiana. Here are some Florida pictures; Louisiana pictures will follow.

Daddy's Little Helper

Yesterday, Jenna was able to help Daddy wash his car, and what a great time she had! She already participated in Water Day at school that day, so she was definitely all about getting wet!





After she helped wash the car, we gave her a bath and she was making such sweet smiling faces so of course we had to catch one of those on camera too! Every time I took the picture, she laughed at the flash, so while my camera was resetting, I missed a lot more cute expressions. Oh, well!

18-month Photoshoot

We took Jenna for her 18 month pictures yesterday, and she did great! The photographer was able to take 99 pictures for us to choose from, and we think we chose some great ones. Enjoy!

Sweet Face

Here's a picture of our beautiful growing little girl. She actually stood still, kept a bow in her hair, and wore a bracelet long enough for me to snap this picture! None of those happen very often, let alone all of them at once! Wonders never cease!

Fun in the Tub

Here are some recent pictures of Jenna's bathtime. She loves taking baths and never wants to get out. I think she'd sleep in there if we'd let her!

Peaches & Cream

Here's a few pictures of Jenna eating peachy food this past week. Click on the picture to enlarge and read.

Our Little Chef

Jenna has developed an interest in making "cakes" recently. She adds blocks to the bowl and stirs them around, then she adds spices, then she tests the taste by putting the spoon to her mouth. What a cutie!

Also, she had her 18-month checkup last week. Here are her stats:

• Height: 31.5 inches (46th percentile)
  
• Weight: 24 pounds, 6.5 ounces (53rd percentile)

Pool Play!

Yesterday we took advantage of the warm summery day and gave Jenna the chance to play in her pool. We started with shallow water to let her get used to it, but next time we'll fill it higher, because she loved it! Here are some videos--the first from the beginning of the pooltime and the second from the end--what a difference!

Here are a few more pictures!