Spring has Sprung!

It's official...spring is here...and here to stay (I think!). It was a little chilly today, but we have had great weather the past week and the snow is almost all gone! I am able to hang things out on the line again and have them come in dry instead of frozen! There is nothing better than line-dried diapers and crispy towels!

Sloan comes out to help in her stroller, but always ends up falling asleep in the sun spot I have found her! I'm looking forward to when it is nice enough to lay a blanket out for her.

Matt's crew didn't get the overtime they were expecting on Friday (thanks asbestos!), so he had the day off and it was so nice and sunny out! We were going to spend the afternoon doing yard work (including taking down the Christmas lights finally...don't worry, they haven't been on!), but it was so nice we decided to go for a big walk and a trip to the park instead. Sloan had never been over to the park at the ball diamond before, so she went for her first trip!

She slept the whole way there in the sun...

but she was just saving her energy to play on the swings!She loved them!

Toby brought along his birthday present which he promptly destroyed...but I guess that is the game!

She kept looking at Daddy...I think she was asking for another push!

Sloan has really been working on getting her thumb in her mouth lately. She has figured out how to get just her thumb in finally (for a while it was thumb+a finger), but she puts it off to the side and can't quite latch on to it properly yet. She also hasn't figured it out as a soothing mechanism, it's just something fun to do. I tried to give her a soother again, thinking maybe she just really wanted something to suck on, but nope, she still HATES it! She does LOVE the jolly-jumper though and it puts her hand at the perfect position for sucking!

Sloan and I made the most delicious banana bread today! I haven't had much luck in the past making banana bread - it usually comes out really done on the bottom and sides, and still raw in the middle, but this one worked perfectly! I was a little skeptical about not putting any chocolate chips in, but decided to just go with it...plus then I could eat it for breakfast and not feel guilty! It is the perfect combination of cinnamon and banana and the swirl in the middle is oh-so-tasty! The top came out nice and crispy and it is delicious warmed up with a little butter!

I found the recipe on a blog, Lovin' From the Oven, and would definitely recommend it!

Sloan is asleep (in her crib), so I should probably do the same (not in the crib)...I might have a piece of banana bread first though!

xo JBM

Wordless Wednesday

Music to my ears!

Sloan just gave me her first big belly laugh - it was the best sound I have ever heard in my entire life!

She has also learned how to suck in her bottom lip - too cute!

xo JBM

Baby Dino

Here is a quick little video of Sloan doing her best baby dinosaur impression! Her little growl is adorable, but quiet so you'll have to turn up your volume!

xo JBM

Dear Sloan: Three Months

My dearest little NoodleE you are growing and changing so much! Today, on your 1/4 year Birthday you were 13lbs11oz! And every single ounce is made up of lovable adorableness!

This month you started babbling to us A LOT! You coo and goo and sometimes surprise yourself by how loud you can get! You love to sit on your Daddy's chest and just talk away with him. I've caught your chatty-ness a few times on camera, but you seem to really like the camera and usually just stare into it every time I put it in your face (which is a lot). You also started doing the cutest little growl in the last week or so - it is almost a whisper, but it sounds like you are trying to mimic a growl. I love all of your little noises! Because of your love of the camera I sometimes call you a ham, and sometimes you are acting like a little nut...so sometimes you are called a ham-nut....I'll apologize now for the identity crisis you will surely suffer! Luckily your Daddy calls you by your real name more often!

This month you celebrated your first Valentines Day and went out to a fancy dinner with Mummy, Daddy, Nana, Papa, and your Great-Nanny. You are an excellent dinner companion and draw in the other diners to your cuteness! You have also attended a couple of volunteer meetings (one for the Women's House and one for the MS Walk) and you are a great companion there too - you are still so compact and a great traveller! You love the car and fall asleep almost the instant we take off!

(All dressed up for V-Day dinner)

In other firsts...there was your first swim...which you LOVED! I think you're going to be a little water-baby and can't wait for the summer and lots of beach days! There was also your first Superbowl, you watched with Daddy and helped Mummy prepare all the tasty snacks! And then there was your first Olympic games! We watched quite a few of the games in Vancouver, but most exciting was the final hockey game that Canada won against the USA. Mommy shrieked so loudly at one point you started to cry...sorry for startling you!

(Your 1st swim!)

You are sleeping longer at night now and it breaks my heart that you actually like sleeping in your crib...maybe you are just happy to be away from Daddy's snoring! I miss you in bed with us, but I guess you had to go at sometime...I just didn't think it would be so soon. You always wake up with a smile and I can't wait to get in your room to see you in there! You are able to roll from your back to your side now, so you are moseying around your crib that way, but sometimes I can't believe the positions you get yourself in to!

You still look a lot like your Daddy most days, but I think you are starting to look like me more too...

Speaking of Daddy...he is home now! He is all finished up trade-school as of Feb 26th and we are so happy to have him home for good now! It will be nice to know he will be home for dinner everynight and get to kiss you good bye every morning!

Mama loves you Sloan!

xo Mama

Talkative Tuesday!

I'll be posting Sloan's 1/4 of a year letter a little later today, but here she is talking up a storm...well sort of...she likes to clam up when she sees the camera...apparently she isn't a performing monkey!

Also, she has been loving the crib lately (much to my heartbreak), but she moves around in there SO much!

This is how I put her to sleep in the crib:

And this is how Matt found her this morning at 5:30 when he went in to say bye:

I have no idea how she managed that!

*this was a reenactment...I didn't think to grab the camera this morning*

We are off to the EYC today! :)

xo JBM

Noodle-Fish!

Sloan went swimming at the pool for the first time today...and LOVED it!

Sloan's First Swim! from Joelene Murphy on Vimeo.

xo JBM