Is it bad to throw your child some toys and say, “here, play?” These dozen toys can entertain her long enough to enjoy dinner… well, “enjoy” may be a stretch. How about long enough to finish dinner.

Then there is Alyssa. She apparently decided that the washcloths in the bathroom were not folded to her liking. Man, did I raise the child?? Uh, [proudly] yes I did.

Megan is getting better at sitting. Just within the last week she has really been able to hold this position. And she loves the pacifier. Alyssa never took one, so this is new to me. Most of the time when I get her in the morning, she is rolled on her back sucking on it, kicking her legs. Like she went all night without it (b/c it falls out) then magically finds it again in the morning light. Just a side note: I am not sure whose PJs she is wearing. They could be some of Alyssa’s 3Ts, they look huge!

Alyssa has been saying Megan is zero because she is not 1 year yet. So I said today that we can say she is a 1/2 now. On her 6 month birthday we started cereal for the first time. No, I am not that anal . . . well, maybe, but today just seemed like the best day. I tried to start her all week, but the timing never worked out for pictures and Ethan being home and so on. So this morning was her first taste. She did good — better than Alyssa did. Alyssa acted like I was feeding her grass, while Megan just played around with the “soup” in her mouth. She didn’t swallow much of it, but didn’t seem to mind the texture or taste. Alyssa helped out too and at one point Megan had two spoonfuls of cereal in her mouth. She does a pretty good job in the high chair if she is supported on both sides by blankets and a non-slip mat under her bottom. So we will work on the sitting as we work on eating.

Megan also took her first ride in the swing this week. She loved it, and it allows me to play outside without having to hold her. But wouldn’t you know that Alyssa now wants a turn in the baby swing.

Abilene was a big hit. We had a lot of fun with the family and celebrating Blakely’s 6th birthday. The kids would just yell, “we are going to jump!”. It was nice to let them do that on their own without supervision. No one got hurt and we didn’t even have any fights.

I have a new video of the girls. Most of the time Alyssa does her own thing and just plays “around” Megan. But Megan is captivated by her big sister. Most mornings they share breakfast together. Alyssa in her chair at the table and Megan in her bouncy seat watching her sister. It is good for me, keeps them both entertained. I think they will have alot of fun together when Megan is old enough to play. For now, this is what playtime looks like. See video

Aren’t big sisters helpful? Alyssa wanted Megan to be able to sit up and watch her while we played today, so she made Megan her own “chair”. Alyssa found this basket, and got her own pillow and beloved blanket to make this cozy place for her sister. Surprisingly, Megan loved it and eventually fell asleep. We just needed a river to set her afloat like baby Moses.