Cousins & Uncles & Aunts - Oh My!

Linnea spent last week with Mommy's side of the family. Above she's pictured with her Nana & Papa and all four of her cousins - from left to right, Evan (9), Jack (2), Chris (7 months), and Kelsey (7).
As you can see, she got a kick out of them (pictured above with Aunt Aline & Jack, below with Daddy & Kelsey).
She even got to meet some SECOND cousins, like Lucy (below) - Mommy's cousin Holly's two-year-old (going on 20, incidentally).
And last but not least, a photo that pertains to nothing but is SO DARN CUTE!

A Busy Month

Linnea has had a very busy month since our last post.  Stay tuned for pictures from trips to Sheboygan with the Daniels, Philadelphia for cousin Christopher's baptism, and Buffalo to visit Nana & Papa's house for the first time.  In the meantime, here are a few random shots of activities that have been keeping her busy.  Above, one of her favorites - sucking on her toes.  Below, another popular pastime - her ExerSaucer from Gramma & Grampa (note the joy).
She took her first swim last weekend in Grampa's pool (precious swim outfit courtesy of Aunt Sally).
And last but not least, her highlight this last month was meeting family.  Below, her introduction to cousin Christopher, three months her senior and already beloved kin.
More trip photos to follow, I promise.  Why is getting from camera to computer so challenging for us?

Bonding with Aunt Nanci

My sister Nanci took the train out from Michigan last week and spent four days bonding with her new niece. As you can see below, they really hit off :).

Thanks, Cousins Evan & Kelsey, for lending your mommy out for a few days!

Happy Girl!

No truly "new" news to report, but I couldn't resist posting these shots of our happy girl. We are loving every one of these wonderful smiles...
Below is Linnea giving her form of a "kiss." It consists of a wrinkled nose, a wide-open mouth, and sometimes a snort for emphasis.
And below is Mommy returning the favor... and someone else watching in the background who doesn't find Linnea quite as captivating as the rest of us. The look on her canine face says it all. Poor Maya.

The Three Month Miracle

Everybody told us that things would improve at three months but at the time, it was utterly unbelievable - that it could be true AND that we could survive that long.  But Linnea was three months old on Wednesday (May 27th) and it's amazing.  This is a whole new ballgame!

Here she is performing one of her new tricks - standing unassisted (by a human, that is - the couch is rather integral to the process, obviously).
And here she is expressing her utter joy and delight at the ultimate gift we can give her - turning on the living room ceiling fan.  She's the fan's biggest fan.
Last but not least in this veritable showcase of Linnea-stunts (and yes, BTW, we do realize she looks like a boy in this outfit :)), the amazing feat of not only GRASPING an object, but purposefully bringing it to her mouth so that she can attempt to devour it like she does her fist/fingers/thumb on a regular basis.

And do you want to know the most exciting part about this post?  I am typing it while Linnea naps... in her CRIB!  It is, indeed, a miracle.

Nana & Papa Visit

Nana & Papa came from NY for a week this month to help out (yes - again :)).  It was a wonderful blessing and we all enjoyed it - especially Linnea.  Above she is spending some quality time with Papa, watching the leaves blow in the wind.  Captivating stuff.
She's a newly converted fan of her bouncy seat these days.  We are ecstatic that she has taken to some sort of non-human holding device.  May the trend continue!
This is the cutest hat ever that one of Mommy's co-workers from North Park found at the Sweden Shop.  Doesn't really pertain to the topic, but just had to post it.  Too funny!
Thanks for a great week, Nana & Papa!  We miss you already!

Mother's Day 2008

Linnea decided to get all dressed up in honor of her mommy's first Mother's Day as a mommy.  She got to celebrate not only with me, but also her Gramma and her Nana (as well as Grampa, Aunt Aimee, Uncle Brett, Papa, and her dad).

Another "first" of the day was Linnea's first outing to a restaurant.  We ventured to Egg Harbor for brunch (nice and loud, plus extremely fast service) and she did quite well.  Spent most of the time as pictured above - it's a miracle she didn't come home with maple syrup on her head.