5 months

I'm not sure how it's possible, but this cutie turned 5 months yesterday. As you can see, she's just as surprised as I am! :) I love that she became a part of our family 5 months ago. The Lord definitely knew what He was doing (as He always does!). Wednesday we decided to see how she'd do with a bowl, spoon and some whole wheat cereal. As you can see in the picture below, she wasn't quite sure what to think. I think I made the mixture too thick, though, because she just kept pushing it back out of her mouth with her tongue. We tried again today (with a much soupier mixture) and she finished the whole bowl! Riley figured out the spoon really quickly, so I guess I just assumed she would too. Once again, I'm reminded that every child is different!

Speaking of different...here's to hoping little miss handles the age of 2 a little better than her older brother. :) Trust me when I say that I absolutely adore my son, and I don't know what I would do without him. However, as my dad said today, "he definitely knows how to push your buttons!" Um yes, he sure does! I love Riley Whitlow, but he and I both are looking forward to daddy's return. We've had some wonderful one-on-one time this week that we don't normally get...very thankful for that!

Oh yeah, this began as a post about Ella Grace. Every day her little personality is blossoming more and more. I've never seen a baby smile as much as she does. You can wake her up from a dead sleep, and once her eyes are open and she knows where she is, she shows off the biggest smile! Oh how I pray that continues! If her brother is in the room, that's where her attention will be. She adores him and is always trying to get him to look at her and talk to her. Her back and neck are getting stronger and stronger. I don't think it will be long before she's sitting up on her own. She absolutely hates her belly - which is the complete opposite of Riley. If she rolls from her back to her belly she starts crying because she can't stand it! She's still not overly consumed with eating. It's almost as if she's thinking, "yeah, I'll do this if I have to, but it's not my favorite thing to do." I pray that food will always be something she consumes to survive and not something that comforts or numbs her.

Well, it's feeding time so I better go get the little munchkin. Ella Grace, we love you to pieces and thank God for allowing us to watch you grow day by day!