Finally! Pictures from our trip!

Hi Everyone! I'm finally able to get some pictures up from our trip to Illinois!
Mariel just went down for a nap and so I have an hour.... whew!
Mariel's got a little cold this week :( so she's sleeping a little more than usual.
I'll try to get the good ones up and I'll burn the rest to a CD to send to anyone who would like some pictures! Just let me know... anyway, enjoy!

Wow, it's been awhile!

It's been quite awhile it seems since I last posted anything.
Mariel is going great! She went to the doctor for her 6 month vaccination last Friday. It hurt, but she only cried a little and then was ok. However, she has a bruise on her left thigh from the shot (ouch!). It breaks me in half to see it, but I know she's going to be fine.
She is now officially 26 1/2 " long and 18 lbs (well... 17lbs and 15 oz). She's in the 75% for her age and so that makes us feel good knowing that she is growing well.

She does so many amazing things now... it seems that she changes or learns something new everyday. She's not crawling yet, but knows how to go from sitting to laying on her belly without serious damage.

Anyway, I'll post some neat pics from our trip back home to Illinois, as well as some other "everyday" shots. Mariel and her daycare buddy, Grace, have been havin a good time too.
Last but not least, I will TRY to get some pictures of her 2 front teeth!

Lots of "Firsts" !

*******Pictures to follow! but read this first!********
Mariel has had a few weeks of "firsts" and it's been such an adventurous three weeks!
Mariel flew on her first plane trip to Illinois on September 7. She flew a total of almost 4,000 miles and got a "First Flight" certificate from the captain and lead flight attendant!
She flew to Illinois to visit and meet her family... her great-grandparents (0pa and Oma), her grandparents(Grampa & Gramma Osterbur) and her aunt Megan, and uncles Colin and Joshua. She also met great-aunts and uncles, cousins and even more cousins. Everyone loved her and she had a great time! She laughed and played with everybody and wasn't a bit shy with anyone!
Several people on the planes commented on what a great little girl she was... it made mommy and daddy pretty proud of our little miss.

On Sunday, Mariel walked in her very first walker... (pictures of this event will soon follow). It's a "Jungle and Dinosaur" themed walker and she's zooming around the kitchen floor... backwards. She loves the independence, and took quick advantage of it by tracking down Moorey, our cat, and playfully grabbing his tail! Moorey didn't think this was very playful, but it sure gave us a laugh. He recovered with little trauma.

And now the biggest "first" of all!!!

Mariel has officially cut her FIRST TOOTH!!! Yeah! Today, on September 20th, I felt in that little mouth of hers and rubbed against something foreign. A little sharp white tooth poking from the gums. How exciting! This might explain the river of drool that perpetually comes from that little factory called "Mariel's Mouth". Anyway, she's been chewing on her hands pretty voraciously lately, and now we can certainly see why!

Hopefully in the next few weeks, this little 'alien' will present itself further so that we can get some great pictures!

Hi Grandpa!!

AAAAHHH!!! Bitter beer face!

Peas, Squash and Sweet Potatoes... OH MY!!!

Formula anyone??

and also....

We're starting real food for Mariel. We made our first parental mistake and started Mariel with applesauce... sweets...oops. So we shifted gears and switched to sweet potatoes, then peas, and now acorn squash. She loves it all! Actually, we're starting to think that she'll eat what ever is in front of her!!!

Mariel at 5 months!

Words cannot describe how I feel about this one...

Happy 5 month Birthday Mariel !!!

Happy birthday baby! That's right.. today is Mariel's 5 month birthday. Hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly!
Mariel is sitting up alone , with an occasional "leaning tower of Pisa" that needs recovering... but she's holding herself quite well. She's also learning to roll over to where she wants to go, learning that toys rattle and that she can rattle them, and learning "cause and effect". Example, she has discovered that if she drops or throws something.. that Mom and Dad will pick it up. She's a smart one! Anyway, she's growing everyday and doing new and amazing things.. .always learning.

Last but not least... sleepy time.

Okay, just had to throw in a sleeping picture... she looks so beautiful when she's peaceful and content.

Mariel's Quilt

Finally, a place for Mariel's quilt! Great Grandma (Oma Osterbur) finished this quilt that was started by Mariel's Great-Great Grandma, Oma (Emma) Suits (whom Mariel is named after). Oma Suits made a pink quilt and a blue quilt... I think she secretly knew that Mariel and Nolan (Mariel's sixth cousin) would be born boy and girl. So now they both have a little piece of Oma in their lives...and the quilt will be a quilt that Mariel can proudly say has touched the hands of 5 generations of women. I think that's a beautiful and powerful statement.

The quilt has pink squares with various patterns and on the back are little pink teddy bears. I want Mariel to enjoy this her whole life, so I'm hanging it for now until she's older. Formula and baby drool aren't nearly as beautiful as this quilt is!

Just another lazy sunny Sunday afternoon...

Mariel's really learning to live the lifestyle of a baby huh?

The future's so bright... I gotta wear shades...

College Bound

Mariel was sportin the "Illinois" onesie...no she's not quite ready for college just yet... but she does look pretty cute in it huh? Better keep those 'college' boys away Dad!

Mariel Rolls Over !!!

Hi, well it's a little late with the posting, but on July 19th, Mariel rolled over! She is so good at it in fact, that she doesn't even want to be on her back! We lay her down, and over she goes.
Tomorrow is her next series of vaccinations so Mariel won't be in the best of moods for a day or so. I'm dreading taking her... she cries her little heart out. Wish us luck :0)

Mariel was having a great time on her mat today. She's still trying to roll over and is sooooo close!

Mariel's first Johnny Jumper!!! She did amazing... and loved it! Hard to believe she's old enough to use this now. Where did my little baby go??? :) 

Hey... check these out!!!

Be sure to scroll down and see the three new pictures we've put on the Blog. Mariel was hammin it up in the mirror! It's so neat that she recognizes faces and could see herself and us in the mirror. We were standing on the scale in the bathroom, to find out how much she weighs, and noticed her looking at herself! She's at a wopping 16 lbs. now and 24 in. long... growing like a weed... but a cute weed huh???

Mirror.. .Mirror... on the wall... who is the cutest baby of all??? :)  

Sorry about the flash! 

Okay... this is our new favorite picture. How can you not look at this and just laugh! She was so excited to see herself in the mirror!!  

SHE DID IT !!!

Hi Everyone! It's been a week and beside her being able to hold her head up on her own now, Mariel is learning to SCREAM! She can hear herself and it's absolutely the cutest thing to see her scream and smile. She loves it!

NOW ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIGGEST NEWS???

Mariel rolled over from her belly to her back last night!!!!

We're so proud of her and how well she is doing. It was awesome, and unfortunately we missed it with the video. But none the less she did it, and we were both there to see it. Whew! We tried for two times, but she was tired. It takes a lot of energy for her to get up the strength. So now we're doing more tummy time, and seeing what happens! Wish her luck!