8 Months Old

Chloe is a busy little bee these days, and it was hard to get her to stay still for her picture with Pooh Bear. Although she isn't technically crawling (forwards that is), she is getting around in her own way. She goes in circles, crawls backwards and rolls herself to get to things she can't reach. She's also started pulling herself up and cruising some. She mostly prefers to walk while holding my hands.
Some of her latest developments are babbling (she says mama, baba, papa and some other random sounds), clapping hands and eating finger foods. She's getting really good at getting those little Gerber Puffs into her mouth. She also likes cheese, tofu and pasta. She is drinking out of the cup more and can tip it all by herself now.

Chloe still loves to sleep more than any baby I've known. I've decided it's because that's her only escape from the constant noise and activity of her sisters. During Chloe's awake time, she is so busy and the environment is so stimulating that I think she just gets worn out! She loves being with her sisters, and it seems like she just can't wait to get up on her own two feet and play with them. Chloe's other favorite activities are going for walks in her stroller or in the wagon, jumping in her jumperoo, reading books with mommy, and petting Takoda, who is the most tolerant cat ever! He lets Chloe pull on his ears and whiskers, while I try to teach her to be gentle. She just adores the kitties and gets incredibly excited each time they come in the room. Pumpkin doesn't get too close yet, but she can frequently be found in the nursery during Chloe's nap time.

Here's Chloe at the end of her photo shoot. Her nickname, "Monkey Doodles" certainly fits!

Grandpa Dan Visits!

This past weekend we got to visit with Grandpa Dan. The girls were super excited to see their Grandpa and to show off Chloe, who he was meeting for the first time.

Grandpa and the girls on a haystack at Buckelew Farms. We were there for a birthday party, and I was sure glad to have Grandpa's help. One mommy is no match for three girls and three pumpkins!
Chloe and Grandpa bonding at the pumpkin patch.

Carving our pumpkins (into Disney Princess characters of course). As expected, Sophie dug right in and Zoe said, "EWWWW!!!!"

Where's Chloe?

You may have noticed that Chloe was missing from the pictures of our trip back east. She was there - I promise - but she (and I) took advantage of all those extra hands, and mostly she was being held and played with!

Chloe with Aunt Mimi, who has the newest cousin in her belly, due to make an appearance around the end of January.

Grammy holding Chloe at Cassie's Bat Mitzvah, with cousin Gab looking at her.

Chloe with Daddy at the Crayola Factory. She spent most of that trip in the Purple Studio sleeping on the couch with Daddy.

In the backyard at Grammy's house tasting a crunchy leaf that she found.

East Coast Travels

We recently returned from a trip back east that took us through 4 states (okay so we only drove through Delaware), but we spent time enjoying activities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. The reason for the trip was to watch cousin Cassie become a Bat Mitzvah. She did a wonderful job and we were honored to be a part of her special day. Other activites during the week included: a trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden followed by visiting with cousins; a trip to the Crayola Factory; and lots of time outdoors enjoying the fall weather and collecting fall treasures (acorns, pinecones, leaves, walnuts) for some crafts we're going to do. We had a really great time seeing lots of family and introducing Chloe to those that didn't make it out to AZ.

The girls riding bikes at cousin Chase and Tanner's house.

The 5 cousins at Cassie's Bat Mitzvah - from left to right: Michelle, Cassie, Gabrielle, Mara, Andrea
Grandpa Pollack started taking pictures of his granddaughters when Gab (who is now a pediatrician practicing in Maine) was just a baby and Michelle used to hold her in the pictures. We always make a point to take a picture of the girls when we're all together.

4 of the 5 cousins (soon to be 6!) at the Adventure Aquarium. Sophie's favorite was the sharks, which she got to touch. Zoe's favorite was seeing all the different fish, and my favorite was "petting" the rays. From front to back: Tanner (4), Zoe (3), Sophie (4), Chase (6)

Zoe at the Crayola Factory. This has to be one of the most family friendly places I have ever been. They even sold pacifiers in the vending machines and opened a special room for Andy to sit in while Chloe slept. This isn't the actual factory where they make the crayons. It's more like a hands-on musuem where the kids can try out every Crayola product you can think of. When you get your tickets, they give each person a bag for holding art projects, and boy did we make lots! We got to paint, make puppets, make leaf rubbings use their model magic clay and more. I would definitely go there again.

We really enjoyed the true fall weather while we were away. The girls had lots of fun playing with the crunchy leaves and looking at the beautiful colors. We took lots of walks, went to the playground and just took in all that fresh air. And of course we returned to temperatures in the upper 90's back in Tucson, where Zoe promptly reminded me how much she doesn't like living in the desert.

Chloe Gets Promoted!

Chloe learned how to turn on the kitchen faucet, so she can no longer get bathed in the kitchen sink. Tonight she got promoted to the bathtub, and the girls decided to join her instead of taking their showers. Sophie and Zoe had lots of fun showing Chloe their toys, and Chloe just couldn't take her eyes off her big sisters.

Old and New

This morning the girls took turns wearing a new Super Girl outfit I found on sale. It's technically a Halloween outfit, but Sophie is sure she wants to be a bride for Halloween and Zoe wants to be a princess, so this will just be for everyday dress up. I spent about 30 minutes getting rescued from various dangerous situations and from evil villains. Then this afternoon I broke out some boxes of toys for Chloe. I think the girls got more excited and had more fun with the baby toys than Chloe did!! They kept saying, "I remember this toy. I remember this book - read it mommy!!" It was cute to see them reminisce together. Chloe's favorite toy though was Zoe's favorite as a baby: a set of stacking rings that Jace gave her from India. She couldn't put the rings on the pegs, but she had lots of fun taking them off!