THE BIG ZOO: Yes, folks, we finally took Kameen to the BIG zoo! It is something we had talked about and promised him since I was pregnant with Ava, last February. The whole point in waiting until the fall was two-fold. Ava would be old enough to hang out most of the day, and the weather would be nicer. Well, Ava did great! The weather, not so much. Oh, it was sunny, but it was still a little too HOT! So, we didn't see as many animals as I'd hoped but all-in-all it was a lot of fun. Kameen was thrilled to see the elephant and the hippos and the rhino. He was even more excited about have popcorn. In fact, he wouldn't even look up to see the animals because he was so distracted by popcorn. I'm glad his admission was free! Here's a few photos from our trip.
HALLOWEEN/FALL FESTIVAL: We're not that big into Halloween. We just don't really believe it's the best of holidays for kids. However, we are ok with our kids dressing up and having fun at a church related fall festival. I did make some arts and crafts things to hang around the house, and of course carved a pumpkin. Kameen chose his costume - a Mighty Elephant! Despite all of this, a few days before Halloween, we all came down with a yucky cold. So, we went ahead and took Kameen to the trunk-or-treat at our church, but he was very tired and kind of spacey. Oh well. Next year maybe we can skip this altogether! Sigh, but probably not. The kids looked super cute. At the last minute, I made Ava into a baby doll. She just wasn't feeling well enough to put a stuffy costume on.
SEVEN MONTHS: And, finally, Ava turned 7 months old. I can't believe it! I'm pretty sure she's the fastest growing kid ever! I want her to stay little because she is such a sweet, happy baby. But, alas, I suppose I can't stop time. She is a lot of fun right now. She is up, up, up on her feet and cruising. I'm amazed at her tenacity to walk like her big brother. She's even tried letting go a few times. She's crawling all over the place, which is kind of nice because I can just put her down wherever if I need to. She is not ready for solids yet. The few times we've tried we were up all night with tummy aches. So for now, we are still exclusively nursing. She takes at least one good nap a day. Since we've been sick, her nighttime sleep has been affected, but when she's well she sleeps pretty decently at night. I'm ok with her nursing at night for as long as she likes. I pretty much sleep through it. Plus, I keep shedding pounds and don't have to deal with Aunt Flow. So, as long as she keeps that away, I'm happy! She starts the night out in a pack-n-play in our room, and moves into our bed typically when we go to bed. I like sleeping with her much more than I ever did with Kameen. She's snuggly. I also realize how short this time is, and I'm cherishing it more this time around. Anyway, here's a few more shots of my angel girl.