Mama's Little Sweetheart

Oh how I love waking up!

Ever since she was born, Karis has greeted me with a smile and silly faces when I go to get her out of her crib. She will fuss until I get there, but the minute she sees my face or hears my voice, she starts to grin as big as she can. I love it!!

Big enough for an exersaucer...

...Or almost big enough...we have to stuff a little handtowel around her so she doesn't bobble too much :) But she really seems to like it and really laughs at the toy that squeaks :) And she loves being able to push off her feet!

Another fun weekend with Nina and Papa!

Helping Mama work

Now that Karis wants to be seeing everything that is going on, she loves her Baby Bjorn! Now she helps me water the flowers, fold clothes, sweep, and lots of other chores. Its great fun :)

All dressed up

The Sequence of a roll!

OK, I know that as first time parents, we get excited over the littlest things. But to Karis, rolling over is HUGE, because it means that she can get back on her back when Mama makes her have tummy time. Since our internet is too slow to upload videos, I though you might enjoy seeing how Karis fights for a roll :) Enjoy!

Step 1: Look cute


Step 2: Make silly faces at Mama

Step 3: Mama rolls me over and I rest for a minute...this is going to be hard work!

Step 4: Hold my head up and grin -- she can't make me stay on my belly!!

Step 5: PUSH! (Daddy calls it "rocking the boat")


Step 6: Start the action
Step 7: I'm back to where I want to be and I kick, kick, kick!


Step 8: Make silly faces at Mama again!Final step: Smile because I'm such a big girl!!!!

Bum Genius!

...So we decided to take the plunge and buy some of the nice Bum Genius cloth diapers to save money. And we love them! For one thing, they come in a pretty pink color :) Actually, they just work really well. They have a liner that whisks away the moisture even better than disposables and they are so much softer. And we haven't had a blowout yet since using them! We still use disposables when we go out for the sake of being able to toss them, but when I am at home with her every day, we might as well save some money and use these!

3 Months Old!!!

Here's the 3rd monthly photo shoot! Crazy, crazy, crazy to think that she is now 3 months. Such a big girl now. She has great head control and loves her Bumbo and facing out in her Baby Bjorn. She wants to always be looking out so she can see everything. She is so easily distracted by noises and movement that nursing and naps are easily interrupted. She can roll over and has done it several times, but doesn't exactly know how she did it :) She makes all sorts of noises, usually at the top of her lungs. Sometimes when I am singing songs to her, it really looks as if she is trying to sing along. Every now and then she actually gets the game of peek-a-boo and will laugh really hard:) Even without the game, she laughs a lot and smiles all the time. It is such fun taking care of her! I look at her sometimes and just can't believe that she is mine! I love her so much. Its kinda sad that she's not a newborn anymore, but at the same time, it is so exciting. Each day she grows and changes and is so much fun!!!

Diamonds on her toes!

We were hanging out with several friends from our church and Karis fell pretty fast asleep on my lap. So my friend Brandie painted little bitty rhinestones on her toes. It was so precious :) And Daddy even liked it!

Karis' first swim in Grandpa's pool!

Last time we visited VA, Karis was too little to go swimming. We only barely let her feet dangle in the water for just a minute. This time, however, she was big enough to kick and splash! I think she liked it, but she was very serious about her kicking! Luckily, my parents' pool was about 85 degrees and they have shade in the shallow end in the late afternoon, so I didn't have to worry too much about Karis getting too cold or sunburned. It was a lot of fun and I know she will enjoy it even more next time!

Mama missed her soooo much!

On Tuesday night, Mark and I went out for a late dinner with some friends from Roanoke. This time, however, Karis was a little fussy and wouldn't take her bottle. I felt so bad and just wanted to hold her tight. I think Karis felt the same way because she wanted to snuggle too.

A fun visit with Great-Grandma

After church photo shoot :)

Emily, Lily, Jason, and Jack DeLong

Karis was really quite hungry and not in the best mood for a photo shoot, so we couldn't get her to smile. But those chubby cheeks are cute whether in a smile or a pout :)