Chef Davey and Lailey's first solid food

I just LOVE this picture! She looks so grown up! Which also makes me a little sad, but then I look at that beautiful smile and the sadness goes away. She's growing and changing so much lately. Lailey is beginning to interact with her environment and play with toys. She grabs my hair, my clothes, my jewelry, and she checks out everything. It's really fun to watch her discover. She will hold toys a lot longer now without dropping them, and she likes to shake things like links and rattles.

Lailey (4 mos.) with my first teddy bear from my Dad

I originally created this blog just for Lailey, but I have to brag on my wonderful husband again. He has taken it upon himself to help me with EVERYTHING now so I can spend more time with Lailey in the evenings when I'm home. On Thursday, he called me and told me he was cooking dinner. He took Lailey with him to the grocery store, bought the ingredients and cooked me one of the yummiest meals I've ever had!

And I'm not just saying that. It was really good. He made grilled chicken marinated in A1 with provolone cheese, fresh garden tomatoes from his Granddad's garden, and vegetable kabobs, all on the George Foreman grill. He even got me to eat zuccini, which I'm picky about. Mmm, this is making me hungry again. Thank you, Davey, for being the most amazing husband in the world.

AND the best daddy too.

****LAILEY'S FIRST SOLID FOOD****

Okay, I have been hesitant to rush solids, being patient to wait until she's ready. The doctor said we could start them at 5 months old, which would be 2 weeks from now. Well, this past week, Lailey has been waking up earlier than normal in the morning, acting REALLY hungry, and I started thinking she may be ready before I thought. So, after considering it a few days, I took the plunge. We tried rice cereal last night for the first time.
Lailey made some funny faces, trying to figure it out, but she seemed to really like it. And my gut instincts were right: she slept longer this morning than she ever has = 10 hours! If there are no problems, we'll give it a go tonight again around dinner time. I have to admit, it was so fun and messy!
Lailey is not quite rolling over yet, but I don't think it will be too long. Honestly, she appears to be more interested in sitting up than rolling over. When she lies on her back, she tries to "crunch" up by lifting her head. She is so much stronger on her tummy now, pushing up to straighten her arms out. She can get her knees under her, but not at the same time as her arms. So she's halfway to crawling. She looks like a little frog.
As far as naptimes, Lailey is getting so much faster at falling asleep on her own. Sometimes she doesn't fuss at all, she just goes to sleep like a big girl. Nighttime is usually when she does this the best. I can't even remember the last time I put her in her crib at night when she cried. She is so sweet and adorable.

We got a new stroller (thanks Dad!), and Lailey really likes to look all around while riding in it. Her other stroller was a Snap 'n' Go that her carseat fit into, but she faced backward so we could see her. I'll have to take a picture of her in her big girl stroller. It's made by Britax and it's called the "Blink." If you're looking for a stroller, go check it out. I LOVE it. It's an umbrella stroller so it folds compactly, but it has a lot of good features of a bigger stroller. It reclines almost flat, so she could easily take a nap while riding around. It's not super light, but I can actually lift it and put it over my shoulder with one arm. And we all know I'm SO strong, let me tell you. Ha!

Okay, I feel like I've rambled a bit, but hopefully you've enjoyed the Lailey update.

My sister Amy and her husband Tim are coming today to stay overnight, and I'm SO excited! Tomorrow we are dedicating Lailey at church, so look for some pictures sometime...if I find the time to do it!