One-half of a birthday

There wasn't any cake, and there weren't any candles... but there were carrots!
Cora celebrated her one-half birthday in style:
A ride without her carseat in the stroller
A ride in the shopping cart infant seat at the grocery store
A taste of something beyond mommy's milk and oatmeal... CARROTS!

She is doing all of the things that she should be doing:
Babbling (a characteristic that she will continue to have, if she is like me)
Sitting without support
Standing with support
Razzing, and the occasional clucking sound (especially when mimicking Grand Poobah)
Lets out a high-pitched fuss when we take away a toy (or anything that she considers to be a toy, like her spoon, daddy's watch, mommy's necklace, a washcloth...)

And we cannot believe that it has already been half of a year.
Time has never moved more quickly.

 She has started to do this thing where she reaches up, almost habitually, and pushes her bangs over and out of her face. I guess she got it from us - we both habitually reach down and push the hair over when it hangs down on her forehead. She is at the end of the move in the picture above.

Getting ready for a run with Mommy.

 Carrots... yum? Yum!

When I laid her down, she was in the middle of the pink mat. She didn't stay there for long...
She is sitting for stretches of time now, sometimes 5 or 6 minutes straight.

Anne Brumbaugh knitted this sweater for Cora. She is so crafty!

We started giving her oatmeal 2 weeks ago. She loves it.

 The bee (in the above pic) was kind of a big deal. She had been lunging for it all week, then falling back in her seat each time that she missed.

 Landon got her ready for church. She came down wearing this gorgeous dress... paired with her lady bug shoes. Yes, they are the same colors. No, that doesn't mean that they go with this dress! I switched her into her silver MJs instead.

 And this is what was making her laugh so hard. Who wouldn't laugh at these cheesy faces?

 Beach day with Big E! I got her dressed in her cute swimsuit... Only to keep her ENTIRELY covered up the whole time. It was a little too chilly for her original beach attire.

 She came home and crashed in E's lap.

 She usually loves her mirror, but for some reason, she fussed everytime she saw it. It was as if she did not want that other baby playing with her toys!

Best of Friends

Cora continues to be a huge fan of her daddy!
I've really learned how to play with Cora from watching him interact with her. Just when I am ready to grab her and say he is playing too rough, she lets out a huge squeal or giggle as if to say, "Do it again, Daddy!"

One morning, I was trying to keep Cora awake (I prefer to try to keep her awake until daycare so that she gets in a good nap). Landon was playing with her while I finished getting dressed, and this is what I found after my shower.

On days when Landon is picking cora up from daycare, I try to dress her in something that is "all daddy". She wore this on the day when MLB pitchers were scheduled to start practice :) Aunt Heather saw these pictures and sent me the matching shot from the day she bought this onesie.
"Before & After"

I was sad to be at work teaching a night class, so Landon sent me this pic. Even though I hate being gone (usually) a couple of evenings a week, I am so glad that I am. When I am around, I naturally take the lead in parenting her (and that was especially true early on). Landon has really embraced the opportunity to have special time with Cora: playing, bathing, feeding.

Cora loved these morning calisthenics!

"Wow! These things that they call "ears" make perfect handle bars for my shoulder ride!"

Sunny Florida

We had been saying for a while that we needed to head south to visit the relatives, so on one sunny February weekend, we finally did. Cora was a hit.

It is starting to get warm in Charleston, but it was REALLY warm in Gainesville. Cora was happy to get out of the car, stretch her legs, and get reasons to giggle from her Daddy!

Here, Cora had not figured out how cool her big cousin Reese is. By the end of the weekend, Cora was loving her time curled up in this Cora-sized lap.

Two people who love Cora: Grandma & Grandpa Messal!

Bopper & Grammy seem more than a little crazy about her, too!

Cora's daddy was not excited about the Gator hat!

A Reesism - Reese was helping me take care of Cora, and the conversation went something like this:
Me: Cora, say how much you love your big cousin Reese.
Reese: Aunt Carrie, I already told you, Cora can't talk yet.

Grandma Messal was so pleased to get to curl up with Cora for a little snooze. And, Cora loved getting spoiled by cuddles all weekend long by the Florida family! (here, you can see her giraffe lovey... this little guy came in a set of three, and as Landon and I are always loosing and forgetting things, we are lucky to have a spare lovey for daycare, one for her crib, and one for the laundry!)

 Cora does not have any first cousins her age, but she sure is loved by the boys in Florida!

 "Where's my Mommy? She will not be happy if she sees me even sitting on this 4-wheeler!" - she's little, but this face means that she already knows her Mommy well! Landon and I both snuck inside for a nap, and saw these pictures when we woke up. I love Cora's look here! I've never seen her make this face before.

Uncle Mike loves the babies!
Oh, Grandpa Messal, you are so so so funny!