Jada's first 4th of July was a success! Here's a picture of Daddy & Jada this past weekend. Gabe took a couple days off, so we enjoyed a long weekend together as a family. It was awesome. Doesn't she look so much like Daddy?

We headed over to Sherwood to hang out with some friends for the evening and light off some fireworks. For the most part, Jada enjoyed watching the bright lights. The loud sounds weren't quite as exciting...they were a little scary, but she recovered quickly.

Before it was dark out, the boys played ultimate frisbee at a park right up the hill. Jada, Kaya, & I hung out by the benches & played with some toys instead. :-)

Jada wore her adorable 4th of July outfit for most of the day (before she tried out the kiddie pool for the first time! She loved playing in the cool water on such a hot day!). What a cutie.

I had a blast today taking pictures of my baby; I thought the old-fashion look would be kind of fun. :-) Jada is such a little doll! Thank you, Nana & Papa Carter for the adorable dress, headband, and rattle; it really made these pictures perfect.

Jada & I met Grandma & Grandpa Chapin at the Cheesecake Factory yesterday for lunch. My parents were in town for the day to pick up my dad's motorcycle in Portland. It was such a treat to see them. Jada tried bananas for the first time at the restaurant; Grandma fed them to her! Jada loved spending time with them and I loved eating lunch while Grandma & Grandpa held her!

Wow. My life has just changed. Jada doesn't stay in one place anymore. She can roll from one side of the room to the other in less than a minute. A couple days ago, we entered the world of rolling, wiggling, and kicking during diaper changes. Yikes!

Her favorite sounds to make are "Dat, Dat, Dat" (I think she's getting close to "Daddy"!) and clicking her tongue with the roof of her mouth. She loves talking and is exploring new sounds everyday.

I used to just buckle her in the bouncy chair and set her in the bathroom while I took a shower, but she now throws her toys forward then leans forward to grab them (resulting in a half somersault forward hanging from her seat). That was yesterday. Today I placed her on the middle of our floor where I could see her from the shower. Nothing around her except safe toys. Less than a minute later, she rolled to the electric outlet & tried to suck on Daddy's chords that were plugged in. Hmmm... I think it's time to set up the Pack & Play.





On Thursday, Jada had her 6 month well baby check-up. She was 19 lbs. 6 oz. (60th percentile) and 27 1/4 inches long (90th percentile). She was so tough for her shots; I'm so proud of her. She's very happy and healthy.

Here's a step by step look into Jada rolling on her tummy to grab a toy. The whole process only takes a couple seconds. Watch out, world! Here she comes!

Jada was dedicated at church yesterday, on Gabe's first Father's Day. It was special to have our church family & friends there to pray with us for our little Jada. She did great while Pastor Brett held her (no spit-ups or crying...way to go Jada!) too!








Afterwards, we headed over to Claim Jumper with a group of friends for some delicious food. Here's me & Jada at Claim Jumper celebrating. I realized yesterday that Claim Jumper was also the restaurant my family ate at after Jada's ultrasound (when we found out we were having a girl). It must be the perfect place to celebrate Jada!

Jada wanted to take a bite out of Gabe's "Widow Maker" burger, but settled for sucking on a spoon. :-) Gabe is such a wonderful daddy. I am so thankful that he's my husband and Jada's daddy.

Here's Jada attempting to crawl in her pretty dress. She's getting pretty close; before we know it, she'll be mobile! Yikes! I'm still trying to get used to the idea that my baby is already 6 months old! I can't believe it. She turned 6 months old on Saturday. Wow.

Here she is sitting all by herself. She's not sitting totally straight up, but she stayed like this for a good 30 sec. or so before falling over to the side. :-) Everyday, she makes so much progress, it's crazy!

Jada loves playing with Kaya. Yesterday, when Jada was playing on the floor in her bedroom, practicing her rolling skills, Kaya ran in the room then proceeded to stare at Jada then run down the hall. She then ran back in the room and did the same thing. Jada thought it was hilarious and would laugh really hard every time Kaya ran back into the room. What good friends they are!









-- Post From My iPhone

Jada was invited to her first birthday party! Her friend, Brooklyn Shearer, turned one and her party was this past Saturday. Here's a picture of Jada with her friends, Ella, Brooklyn & Sophee and their mommies (Robin, Tiana, & Ashley). Also pictured are Amy (far left), Christina (pregnant with Baby Tymon), & April (far right & pregnant with "Baby Peanut"). :-)

Jada is totally dominating her bouncy chair these days. I remember when she used to just lay back and stare at the hanging toys. Now she attacks them. Ha ha.

Jada loves her Daddy time before bedtime. Here's Daddy and Jada playing before she goes to bed.

Jada has not only enjoyed her rice cearal and sweet potatoes, but has now added brocolli and applesauce to her plate! How exciting! She especially loves applesauce. She had two ice-cube size servings yesterday instead of her usual one. Here's a picture of her first few bites of brocolli.

Jada has been rolling from her tummy to back for a few weeks now, but has recently started rolling from her back to her tummy! It was tough for her to figure out what to do with that other arm after the roll (that gets stuck under her tummy), but she figured it out on Tuesday! Here's a picture of her at Daddy's Ultimate Frisbee game on Tuesday night when she rolled from her back to her tummy all by herself for the first time. She realized that if she grabs on to the turf while she pulls out her other arm, she can successfully make it all the way on her tummy. What a smart girl!

After which, she had a conversation with that pretty little flower she's holding!

Speaking of talking, I'm pretty sure I caught her singing along to the radio the other day. I was driving, and had the volume up as I was singing along to whatever song happened to be playing. I heard something from the back seat. I then turned down the music and heard this cute little voice behind me singing, "Na na na na na". It was SO cute. I guess she really does listen to what Mommy does and follows along!