Ilona: five months old 5.8.13

Ilona kicked, drooled, chewed, giggled and rolled her way into 5 months old this week. She is a ball of energy (huge understatement), oh so curious about life around her, and already a pretty major heartbreaker. here are some of the highlights of our sweet little girl...

her first laugh

breaking some hearts


rolling over to catch Lucy the Lion


not so thrilled at the doctor's office, but at least i look good in my jean booty skirt


girls' only weekend in mommy's favorite place, Copan!


not so sure about having a baby-sitter


playing with my bff, stephanie


enjoying the sights and sounds of Macaw Mountain Bird Park in Copan


swinging the day away, Honduran-style


swimming with mommy and daddy... i sure love the water!


finding my feet


hanging out with my grandpa, "papa"... he sure is silly!


five months old and loving life

Ilona: four months old 4.8.13

happy 4th month birthday Ilona Noelle! you have brought us countless sleepless nights, joy-filled days and so much laughter. you've certainly turned our lives upside down in only four short months. you are growing up to be a such a beautiful little girl. you have gained 6 pounds and 6 inches. you are smiling (a lot) and drooling all over the place even more. we anticipate a tooth in the next little bit for sure. you have started playing with toys. your favorite is still the lion, papa calls her "lucy" the lion. you also love to play with your lovey from auntie izzy, your keys from howard in copan, your mariquita mat, the pajarito from lisa and your cluster car toy. some of our favorite moments with you this month have been listening to you babble when we're playing, even in the shower, and when we read your bedtime stories to you. it's so fun watching you give your attention to something and keep it there, entertained. your most favorite things to look at, though, are your mom and dad's faces.

Ilona: three months of memories 3.11.13

you've lived quite the full life already, after only three short (or long, depending on when you ask me) months. the highlight of these three months was definitely our visit with your Lita. i blogged about it earlier, so you can catch the details here. you sleep in some of the weirdest positions. but we are soo grateful you're sleeping and much more than a month ago. you sleep during the night in "shifts", and the first one is always the longest at anywhere from 3-5 hours, depending on the night. you still only sleep on average 12 hours in a 24 hour period (much less than the typical baby if you're wondering), but Ilona has way too much to do in a day to have any more time for sleeping. i guess i was the same way ;) my mom says it's payback. anyways, here are some of those crazy positions i caught you in this month: you were also caught making some pretty priceless faces. you're expressions are maturing and you definitely react and respond to the stimuli around you. what's your most favorite object of affection? us! there is nothing in the world like watching your baby realize she is looking into your eyes and loving it, and then responding with the world's most perfect smile. we are smitten indeed. here you are: you have learned to play with friends and with toys this month: and somehow this month we really became a family of three: