6 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that she is already six months old. Sequoia is now such a big girl! She is wearing 6-9 months clothes and weighs about 16 pounds. We are on that last box of diapers debating if we can go one more pack of size 2 before we have to size up to size 3 (time to move to cruisers--the special crawling diapers).

She can't quite crawl yet, but she is trying very hard. She is a master at pivoting and rolling, and she can almost sit all on her own. She is also very proficient at grabbing toys and hanging onto them for long periods of time.

Sequoia is also very vocal. She loves babbling and giving us raspberries. She has a mantra that repeats to herself when she is falling asleep--she will say her name to herself over and over again (quoia, quoia, quoia). She will also say "boo" when we are playing peek-a-boo, "poo" when her diaper is getting changed, and an assortment of sounds that do sound a lot like "I love you" and "Hello." I think "Dada" is only about a week a way (I'm hoping she'll have it down by the time Daddy comes home from Quals).

On her 6 month-day she tried rice cereal for the first time. Since then, she's now tried oatmeal and sweet potatoes. She absolutely loves the sweet potatoes. We are aiming to try some peas this weekend.

She still loves playing with her Space Tube and her Bear Book (which is getting some nice wear and tear marks). She also loves paper, so we're constantly trying to keep Daddy's math books out of harm's way. She has also bonded with Merlin (one of our cats). They love to play together in the afternoon and he is great at just letting her pull his fur and ears.

Check out these cute pictures of the little love on her special six-month day.

Second Zoo Trip

After having so much fun at the zoo with Grandma and Grandpa, we had to go back. So on the 23rd of August, we decided to go back and as a wedding anniversary present to ourselves we became Zoo Members. Now we can take unlimited zoo trips for the next year, hooray!

This time we packed up a sack lunch of peanut butter, honey, and raisin sandwiches for Mommy and Daddy. We had an excellent time, even though it got a little warm. Sequoia didn't get to see her bats this time, since the second we stepped into the viewing area she fell fast asleep. Apparently the flapping of all the little wings was very comforting.

Mommy got a huge treat and got to see the wolves twice! We also got a cute little ocelot sticker for our car with the zoo membership. Then on the way out of the park, we stopped by the gift shop and bought Daddy some yummy fudge, and a little stuffed panther for Sequoia.

We are looking forward to our future trips with Sequoia--check out these cute pictures of this little outing!

Aquarium and Beach Outing

A week after going to the Zoo, we decided to take a trip up the coast to the Newport Aquarium. Sequoia really liked the Aquarium since all the animals were close to the glass and she could reach out and almost touch them.

After looking at all the neat fish and jellies, we took a walk through the outdoor area which housed the sea otters, sea lions, and octopus exhibits. We met a very friendly sea otter which was equally curious about Sequoia as she was with him. He swam back and forth, rolling over in front of her for a good five minutes. She had so much fun (and so did the large crowd of people behind us who were watching the otter play with Sequoia).

After we were all done at the Aquarium, we drove to a nearby beach and introduced her to her cousin Addie's favorite food, sand! Sequoia tried to get two fists of sand into her mouth right away, but as you can see in the pictures, it didn't taste as good as she was hoping. The ocean was a little to cold for her liking, so instead of playing in the water, we took a nice little nap on the beach. Another great day!

First Trip to the Zoo

We met Grandma and Grandpa (Margaret and Mark) at the Portland Zoo on August 4th for Sequoia's big first trip to the zoo! It was a really nice visit and Sequoia had so much fun looking at the animals (those that were close enough for her to notice at least). I also got a great workout carrying around the little 14 pounder in her Baby Bjorn.

She really had fun visiting with her grandparents (and it only took her a couple hours to remember them this time...so maybe by Thanksgiving, she'll know exactly who they are from the get go). Sequoia had a great time being cute and showing off for Grandma and Grandpa.

Amongst her favorite exhibits were the fruit bats (all their flying was very interesting) and she loved looking at the Polar Bears with Grandma.

We finished off our wonderful day with Sequoia's first trip to a sit-down restaurant, the Spaghetti Factory. We made it through the salads, but we got a little tired, so Mommy and baby got to take a little nap in the car for the rest of dinner. What a wonderful day! Here are some great pictures from our little excursion.

Sequoia at 5 months

She just keeps getting cuter and cuter! At five months Sequoia's chubby little thighs really fill out the leg holes on her Bumbo chair (she's almost gotten stuck in it a couple times). Her three favorite toys are her Space Tube, her bear book from Grandma and Grandpa, and the kitties (when she can get a hold of them). She is now a pro at rolling over both ways, sucking on her thumbs and toes, sitting up with some support, and going on long outings with Mommy and Daddy.

She has had a very full month of going to the Zoo and visiting the Aquarium and the beach for the very first time. Check out these pictures of our little explorer!

4 Months Old--So Many New Tricks!

At about four months old, Sequoia started rolling over one way really well, holding her head up so she could try out sitting in her pink Bumbo chair, and getting up on her elbows to try and crawl.

Her dexterity greatly improved over this month, and her repertoire of toys increased. What a sweet little one!

Also her Daddy shaved for the first time since he grew in his mustache back in junior high--check out these cute pictures of Sequoia with her silly Daddy!

Ready for big girl clothes (3 months old)

Sequoia finally fit into her two piece outfits...ooh such a cutie pie! We also set up her high chair so we could finally eat dinner together at the the table. She loves sitting in her high chair--it became a game of 'lock and load--ready for blast off!' Our little future astronaut =)

We also started taking outings to the grocery store and the mall together to start getting her used to being around a lot of people. She's been the favorite baby at the grocery store ever since.

Check out these cute pictures of the little growing girl.

Happy 12 week old girl

Sequoia started smiling and sitting up against our legs around this time. We also bought her a little Rainforest play chair that she absolutely loved (and still really enjoys now).

We really enjoyed this new level of interaction with our little girl. She is such an absolute joy!

Sequoia girl 8-10 weeks

Little Sequoia absolutely loved flying around in Daddy's arms during these early weeks. I can't believe how tiny she was. Back then she couldn't do a whole lot on her own, but we had so much fun just carrying her around like good Mommy and Daddy taxis.

Please enjoy these pictures of little Sequoia with her cute little round face.

Introducing Sequoia

Sequoia entered our lives on February 24th, 2007 after 40 weeks and two days of anticipation. She weighed 7 lbs 9oz and was 19 inches long. She was also covered in fuzzy dark hair, and when she finally opened her eyes, we saw that they were baby slate grey. Thankfully for me, it was a relatively easy and short labor.

We spent one night in the hospital and then were more than ready to get this little one to her new home and introduce her to the awaiting kitties. Over the next pretty sleepless week, we tried getting use to being parents with the help of Sequoia's Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Mark.
See some early pictures of Sequoia here.

Page Under Construction

Hello Family and Friends of Sequoia!

We're following in Laura, Mike, and Addie Ray's footsteps, and setting up a blog for little Sequoia. Since I still have another week until I'm a full time stay-at-home mommy, the page will be under construction for a while. We're looking forward to sharing all our stories and pictures with you all!

Love,
Katie, Dan, and Sequoia